Suppressed
by Whisper-Foruka
Summary: FE: 10. The male brunette was nothing like his old girlfriend once you looked very closely, and yet- Zihark couldn’t seem to stop watching him. ZiharkXEdward, some VolkexSothe, hints of MicaiahxIlyana and LeonardoXLaura. Yaoi, rated M for a reason
1. First Glance

Suppressed

First Glance

Disclaimer: When you play the game, do you honestly see my work when you read the dialogue and lack of support conversations?

A/N: So, I probably shouldn't be working on this new story, instead, I should be working on the fics that I promised. But, I need a little break from the AU, and I wanted to try my hand at pure shounen ai. So, here you go, another pairing that I came up with. Hopefully this story will make it seem possible, eh?

Warnings: Slash, possible lemon in the future, dark thoughts, occness (to some people, not to me actually).

Pairing: ZiharkXEdward

* * *

It was nearing evening, and luckily, no sights of Begnion troops had occurred all day. Perhaps it was a stroke of luck from the Goddess; a shine of sun on the gloomy, desolated earth. Zihark slowly cleaned his sword, rubbing repeatedly with a gray cloth until the blade of the 'Killing Edge' was clear of any wear or rust. After a moment of staring aimlessly at the weapon, Zihark heaved a quiet sigh, it was a mere whisper in the halls that he sat alone in.

It was a wide, barren hallway - no tapestries or wall ornaments in sight- it had a lonely feel to it, and Zihark had a small urge to stand and leave. But alas, the rest of the fort in this forsaken desert was just the same, albeit with other Beorc in residence. Then again, the Swordmaster didn't feel like being in their company at the moment; Perhaps if there were Laguz around…The image of his tiger friend, Muarim filled his mind and he idly wondered if the man was doing well. Zihark hadn't seen his friend in quite a while, it would be pleasant to talk again…But, Zihark thought, his heart sinking slightly. This was the _Daein_ Restoration army, the chances of any Laguz companionship was impossible.

Instead there were humans like Tauroneo, Jill, the prince of Daein, said man's mother, and the creep, Izuka. Yes, quite a crew, and none he really talked to a whole lot before they were all thrown together. Especially Izuka. There was just something about the hunched over man with a huge forehead and bone rattling laugh… Pelleas and Almehda, he hadn't even known three years prior to this mess, unlike the general and wyvern knight. Izuka could also be added to that list, but there always seemed to be something familiar about the lunatic; Zihark couldn't place it, but 'it' definitely wasn't positive…

So yes, the communication he had in this little merry band of comrades was limited 'very little' to 'zero'. Battle strategy and future plans for taking back Daein did not count as conversation between friends.

A loud, cracking thump resounded throughout the hallway from the opposing side of Zihark, the sword master's eyes darted towards the commotion, sharp and intent. He located a fallen piece of stone from the crumbling wall, Zihark exhaled the breath he had been holding and dragged his eyes away, instead staring at the opposite gray wall across from him.

Since the wall was understandably very uninteresting, Zihark's attention drifted and he found himself thinking about Daein, and why he was currently there. He didn't have any particular love for the country, in fact, it could be bordering loathing…There was always a more cheerful feeling for Gallia, even Crimea was better. Daein's hate for 'sub-humans' went against everything Zihark stood for…Yet, he couldn't just let his old homeland die out in a bitter, desperate death; no, Zihark wasn't that heartless.

Maybe after he helped Daein he could go back to Gallia without a heavy heart…But then again that was probably a little too close to her. Zihark felt himself flinch softly at the thought of his old fiancé, it had been so long since they had separated, and yet, there was still a little pain whenever he thought of her. Not Gallia, Crimea. Yes, that was a sound plan, he'd go to Crimea after he helped out Daein win their battle; he'd visit Brom, the mercenaries, the new Queen and her knights.

He was roused from his musings by hurried footsteps echoing throughout the cold, dull hallway and Zihark looked up; Jill was heading his way, gently swinging red hair announcing who she was immediately. The sword master stood, straightening his light gray coat and shooting a questioning glance at the axe-fighter, she opened her mouth to speak.

"Zihark, we spotted a large amount of Begnion troops heading this way; are you ready for an upcoming battle?" after she got her response -a simple nod- she turned and rushed back the way she came from…The entry hall of the fort.

After running a calloused hand across his temple, the sword master sighed and strode after her, heavy leather shoes making a soft sound as they met with the floor. Zihark came to a lighter room, still as barren as the hall he had just left, but the open archway to the fort let in the lowering sunlight.

He heard the distant noise of feet tramping across sand and quickened his pace, Tauroneo stood in the entryway of the fort, lance in hand, a grim look on his face. Zihark stood behind his comrade and took in the battlefield's condition. A large amount of reddish-orange armour could be seen spread out across the ruins and sand beyond. As a gust of wind blew into the sword master's face and shifted silvery-blue hair, he looked upwards and saw Jill sitting on her wyvern, getting a better look; ahead of him, Tauroneo in his durable, white armour, and then glanced down at his belt where the 'Killing Edge' lay sheathed. Zihark could only wonder. What were the odds of winning?

A Begnion soldier rushed forward, attempting to strike Tauroneo, after the heavily-armored male side-stepped, one hit to the back of the head made the foolish soldier fall. Zihark's musings and doubt of winning this battle did not cease.

Another one of the soldier approached, albeit a bit slower than his late comrade, and fingered his javelin. With a swish, it breezed right past the general, and Zihark only had to move his face slightly to the left to dodge it also, watching as another soldier was brought down.

"Hmph." Tauroneo grunted, stepping back slightly and crossing his arms, resting his spear on the ground. Zihark sighed.

"Impressive as always, General Tauroneo," Zihark took a quick, unnecessary glance around the battlefield -which had barely changed with the small loss of two soldiers- "However, I do not think we will hold out forever, we are seriously outnumbered…"

"Hmph, I'm not about to be outdone by men like this." Tauroneo cut in, "Now, let's show them what they're up against." the general said gruffly, Zihark didn't see any alternative than what the other male had suggested. So after shrugging his shoulders, the Swordmaster moved around his ally, drawing the Killing Edge and standing at the ready.

"We'll keep on the defensive side of the battle to avoid any casualties."

Zihark nodded, eyes not leaving his enemies, "Right, let's show them what we've got. Ready Jill?"

The red head lowered down to the ground, nodding slightly, a small smile on her lips, violet eyes sparkling, "Just give the word!"

He shifted his weapon in his grip, shook a pale-blue lock of hair out of his eyes, and sighed once again. It was going to be a long battle with just the three of them, and if he wasn't careful, Zihark could receive a grave wound. No one could last forever when fighting.

Narrowing green eyes (A/N: I'm pretty sure his eyes are green…), the sword master shifted into a defensive stance. He focused his hearing, eyesight, and did a testing slash with his sword - just as the metal was coming down, an orange armored soldier came charging at him.

Using the momentum of his swing, Zihark brought the killing edge into a parry. Before the other man could attack again, a lethal cut to his neck made him drop to the sand beneath him, dripping blood onto the ground.

One down, countless more to go…A long day indeed.

The light of the sun was beginning to disappear by the time the battlefield made any drastic changes…Zihark had killed yet another charging fool and was about to scan the left sided archway when the sound of lightning and thunder filled his ears. There were no lightning mages on the enemy side…Just fire, so where was that coming from? Turing right, Zihark blinked to see a familiar lavender tressed mage. _Ilyana_?

In slight confusion, Zihark scanned the area for other possible teammates that could of accompanied his one-time-comrade. And indeed, there were three figures climbing up onto the ruins set in the middle of the sands. The blue-haired male frowned, did that mean Ilyana was fighting alone?

He turned back to where Ilyana was, but before he could even look at her, his eyes caught sight of a familiar-light brown. Zihark's heart skipped a beat, Leati? No it wasn't her, instead of his old fiancé, he saw a male of medium height. The boy wore a red vest and cream-coloured shirt, his legs adorned in travel worn, beige pants.

The brown hair that had first caught his eye was lighter, and shorter, than Leati's. His girlfriend wore shades of blue, and of course, Leati was a girl, not like this figure ahead of him. The male brunette was nothing like his old girlfriend once you looked very closely, and yet- Zihark couldn't seem to stop watching him…

Taking in the slightly clumsy - yet potentially powerful swordsmanship he had when he took down a lancer…The way his face had a kind-of cute look of determination on it…How his dark blue eyes were only revealed when the falling sun shone just right into them…

What sword master didn't watch was just about everything else, a loud yell broke through his reverie, "Zihark!" It was Tauroneo from somewhere behind him, still guarding the entrance to the fort diligently. After shaking his head to clear it a little, Zihark rose his blade from where it rested at his side and went back to helping his two comrades.

* * *

After the battle was all said and done, mostly thanks to Sothe and his friends, Zihark was spaced out; while Tauroneo and Jill greeted the rogue and his silver-haired ally, the Swordmaster was focused on the group behind them. Or, more specifically, the myrmidon with dark-blue eyes. The other male didn't seem to notice the set of green eyes trained on him…But a lavender-haired mage did.

Ilyana's lips drew into a small, secretive smile…Somehow, she just knew that Zihark was feeling the beginnings of a crush towards the happy-go-lucky brunette. An amazing feat within itself, since Zihark wasn't into romantic relationships much, or at least from what Ilyana could tell.

The thunder mage's smile grew just a bit, maybe, after she had eaten a healthy, large, dinner, she could help her male friend out…

* * *

"Ed, please quiet down a little?" a blonde, male archer asked patiently, a small, fond smile on his lips.

"Come on, Leo! Did you see that guy?! He fought…It was, I…He was awesome!" Edward was having a rather rough time describing just how awe inspiring the mysterious blue-haired male was. You could tell from his spluttering.

Leonardo smiled knowingly, "Awesome, eh?"

"Yeah, I wish I could fight like that…" Edward sighed, sitting down on his bedroll, still shifting excitedly. After a moment, he blinked and jumped up, "I know, I can ask if he could train me!" Leonardo snorted slightly. "What?!" the brunette pouted.

"Ed, you don't even know his name yet." the blonde reminded his friend.

The myrmidon frowned a little and slowly slid back down onto his makeshift bed, tapping his bare feet onto the stone floor in front of him. "That's true…" Leonardo didn't quite know what to say, so he stayed silent, running a hand across the gray stone of the wall.

They both looked up when three men stepped into the room; Nolan smiled a greeting at the two men on the floor, "Hello boys." the bearded man didn't say much more, instead, he took to setting up his bed down, and dressing for bed.

Aran nodded at his comrades before silently mirroring the warrior across the room.

Sothe was the last one to enter, and he looked irritated, "What's wrong, Sothe?" Edward asked, picking up his friend's unpleasant mood immediately. The brunette could be unnervingly insightful when it came to how the other Dawn Brigade members were feeling.

The green-haired rogue just shook his head, "It's nothing of any importance, Edward." after he sighed audibly once, Sothe spoke again, "We're going to starting marching through the desert first thing in the morning, so get some sleep."

After getting a sort of agreement from everyone, Sothe set to work getting ready for bed; no one bothered him, sensing that he was frustrated and didn't feel like talking at the moment. Nolan slowly settled into this bedroll, closing his eyes and doing his nightly relaxation ritual, soothing the day's pains.

Aran, exhausted from an extensive amount of exertion, fell asleep right away, snoring softly. (A/N: Seriously, he was really handy in that battle for me. I don't know why…) His back facing the rest of the group.

Edward turned back to Leonardo, "So, what's up with you and Laura?" he asked suddenly, and quite out of the blue. The blonde, in return, flushed heavily and choked on air, staring at his friend with a wide-eyed expression.

"H-how do you know about that?" the archer coughed, "Not that there is anything going on or anything!" he added hastily.

Edward narrowed his eyes at the blonde, "You're hiding something Leo, it's so obvious! C'mon, tell me what you guys are up to!" the brunette pleaded.

From the corner of the room, Nolan chuckled deep within his throat and Leonardo shot the man an irritated look, "Shut up, old timer!"

"Watch who you're calling old, whippersnapper, or I really will show you what I can do this time." Sothe snorted at the use of the term, 'whippersnapper'. Leonardo just rolled his eyes and turned away from the warrior.

"Why am I being left in the dark?" Edward asked, pout on his lips, he gave the archer a pleading glance.

"Because it's useless information." Leonardo answered sharply.

"So? I still wanna know!" Edward's persistence was unrivaled, and unluckily for Leo, so was his 'puppy eyes'. The brunette stuck out his bottom lip and lowered his head a little, raising his eyes at the same time to meet with Leonardo's.

Footsteps echoed throughout the hallway as Edward's lip began to tremble; Nolan chuckled at the two close men, shaking his head in exasperation. The old, battered, wooden door slid open as Edward scooted closer. Zihark stuck a head in, and at Sothe's friendly wave, stepped fully into the room. He blinked as he saw Leonardo trying to pointedly ignore the very brunette he had been watching earlier that day.

The two's closeness made his heart jump momentarily until the myrmidon spoke, "Please tell me about you and Laura? C'mon, you're my best friend! Pretty please with honey on top?" The brunette bounced in his spot in front of the slowly falling blonde.

Leonardo was about to cave and he knew that if he looked directly at Edward's dreaded 'puppy eyes' he would be doomed. "Leo," the brunette sang, "Look over here." Nolan was chuckling rather audibly now and Leonardo wanted to scowl over at the older male.

"Leeooo!" Edward suddenly was right in front of his face and he was met face-to-face with his friend's ultimate 'give me answers' attack.

The blonde sighed, and mumbled under his breath, "Laura and I are together…" He shoved the brunette away, glaring at Nolan as the man laughed again. The archer leapt under his covers and glared at Edward as the brunette did a triumphant dance.

"Victory is mine!" Leo rolled his eyes and turned on his side, shaking his head, even as a small smile quirked his lips.

Zihark had set up his sleeping mat next Sothe's and watched the entire scene, true humor in his eyes for the first time in about three years. He watched with a slowly growing smile as Edward finished his victory dance, feeling a strange, yet vaguely familiar warmth in his entire being.

There was a small prickling a the base of his neck and turned to see Sothe watching him with a knowing smirk, "What?" Zihark asked quietly, feeling slightly uncomfortable with this knowledgeable expression. What had happened to that little thief in the Mad King's war? "Any reason you're looking at me like that? It's a tad creepy."

"You like him." Sothe said softly, and bluntly.

Even at the low volume the rogue had said it, Zihark still whipped his head around before glaring at the slightly smaller man, "Goddess, don't do that!" the sword master spoke nervously and Sothe blinked in surprise.

"I don't think I've ever seen you lose your cool like that, Zihark." Sothe rose a brow.

"And I don't believe you were this keen on reading people the last time I saw you." the blue haired man replied defensively.

"I've had to learn, Micaiah is quieter than she used to be, and…" Sothe abruptly cut off, eyes widening slightly, "Never mind."

Zihark smirked softly, "'And?'"

"Nothing." Sothe shook his head, "Doesn't matter."

The sword master chuckled quietly, "I imagine Volke was quiet too, eh?" he watched, satisfied, as Sothe jumped in shock.

"H-how did you…"

"One day, Mist came up to me and practically ordered me to bring Volke some food, she was worried that he was starving or something. So, I'll just say, the food was never delivered, I dropped it when I walked into his tent…"

Sothe blushed for a moment, covering his eyes before blinking in alarm, "You just walked in, without even _asking _if you could come in?"

Zihark shrugged, "I didn't think you'd be with him, or that you guys would be in the middle of something so shocking." Sothe's blush, which had subsided, came back in full force.

"You know, now that you say that, I _do_ remember Volke leaving the tent in the morning, only to step on a big pile of stew…" Sothe shook his head, "We had always thought that someone had played a trick on Volke for some stupid reason…That was you?"

"Yes, that would be me, like I said, you guys were-"

"Shut up, Zihark, before I kill you." Sothe growled, Zihark just snorted in response, "Anyways, we were in the middle of talking about you, weren't we?"

The sword master scowled, "No. We were finished."

"I could help you out."

"No."

"Why?"

Zihark blinked, that was a good question. Was it because he though Sothe would mess it up? No, it was because he wasn't going to do anything. There was no way he was going to pursue the brunette. Not when the possibility of Zihark actually wanting to go through with a relationship was very shallow. To this day, the sword master was still insecure about romance and love, and that would probably never change. If the brunette actually did become interested in Zihark, which the blue-haired male couldn't bring himself to believe, Zihark couldn't bear to see those dark-blue eyes fill with hurt and disappointment.

He couldn't bear to see the myrmidon break like Zihark once did himself.

Now Zihark realized that he was thinking way too much ahead, and probably was jumping to conclusions. He didn't even know the other man's name! After blinking three times, the Swordmaster turned to the still waiting rogue, eyes brushing past the brunette to see that he was consoling his blonde friend.

"What is his name?"

Sothe felt his lips twitch in the beginning of a smile, "Edward."

Zihark sighed, "Well, Sothe, I'll say it now. I will never, and I mean never, go after Edward for a relationship." Sothe blinked in shock and watched the blue-haired male turn away.

The rogue watched Zihark, even as the other man sent one, longing, emotional look in the myrmidon's direction, before the feelings were carefully masked and crushed down. Sothe smiled sadly.

_You're not going to be able to stop yourself, Zihark. I just hope you both won't come out of this ordeal broken._

* * *

A/N: So, what do you guys think? Horrible pairing, too out of character, bad grammar? Good, bad, ugly, cool? Please review. If I do continue this, it will probably be delayed for quite a while. But not forever.

Uh, yes, VolkeXSothe, a pairing I absolutely adore. LeoXLaura, cute, not one of my favorites, but cute. I do have to have het in the story for it to be realistic. PelleasXMicaiah, anyone? (I can stand that pairing, unlike SotheXMicaiah, there's just something about it that I hate. Anyways, I won't be writing this story to continue until Ike shows up on the scene. So, no IkeXMicaiah.)


	2. Mentor and Student

Suppressed

**Disclaimer: **Do you honestly think of my stories when you play the video game? No, I didn't think so.

**Warnings: **First ever lemon near the end. *Blush*

* * *

The back of Edward's neck felt like it was on fire, his lips were noticeably chapped, his shirt and hair clung to him, and his intakes of breath could be heard by those around him. However, he was probably one of the best off, considering his boundless energy and 'go-get-em' attitude.

That even Edward was exhausted was saying something; Leonardo and Laura were supporting each other, Nolan had found a stick and was using it to find easier walking spots in the sand. Micaiah could be seen leaning against Tauroneo's shoulder, Sothe was surprisingly trudging behind her (probably from lack of sleep the previous night). Jill was better off than most, flying in the sky with her wyvern. Volug and Nailah seemed to be fine, and Rafiel used his Queen's arm for support. Zihark was carrying a tired and hungry thunder mage on his back.

"How much further do we have to-to walk?" Edward gasped out, stopping for a moment and clutching his sides, this allowed Leonardo and Laura to catch up with him.

"Like I know," his blonde friend answered breathlessly.

"It can't be too much longer…" Laura said uncertainly, "Can it? I mean, we've been traveling almost non-stop since this morning." she glanced up at the sky, "It looks like it's after noon, we haven't even stopped for lunch!"

"We could ask Micaiah, but I suppose it would just be a waste of breath…" the Dawn Brigade archer murmured, shrugging his shoulders.

"Huh? Why do you say that? She's the General of the army now." Edward gazed at Leonardo questionably from the spot he had stopped at.

His friend frowned and started walking with Laura again, motioning for the myrmidon to do the same, "I don't know Edward, it was really out of the blue and sudden, and have you seen Sothe's face? He looks troubled."

The brunette frowned, "You're right…I just thought that he was tired and moody from that or something."

"That could be it too, but I doubt it. Sothe is used to getting up early, we all are, remember?"

"Oh, yeah," Edward nodded, "That's true."

Leonardo just sighed in exasperation, Laura giggled at the myrmidon's childish behavior.

"What," the brunette whined "Why are you guys laughing at me?"

Leonardo raised a brow, "Because you didn't think of Sothe being a morning person in the first place? Even after all the years we've known him?"

Edward pouted, "Well, it's not like he was gone for three years or anything!" the myrmidon retorted sarcastically, surprising Leo and even Laura.

"What the…? Eddie's being sarcastic? Is the sky falling?" Laura gave a quick glance at the sky, "No." she gave a few, mock-wary glances around her, "Now I'm scared."

"Hey!" the myrmidon pouted, "That's not that surprising!"

"What are you talking about? You _never _make a sarcastic joke."

Edward was about to retort when a call came from ahead of them, it was rather distant… "Huh?" the trio chorused and looked forwards, blinking to see that Nolan was waving a hand at them from a distance. Quite a distance.

"When did we stop walking?" Laura trailed off in confusion.

"Whoops." Edward giggled and set off at a run towards the rest of the army.

"He's running." Leonardo said dully, shaking his head and giving an incredulous glance at his girlfriend, she gaped after the brunette.

"Where does he get all that energy?"

* * *

By the time Leonardo, Laura and Edward were all together and with the rest of the camp, Sothe was arguing audibly with Izuka, Micaiah off to the side and looking nervous.

"Huh, what's going on?" Edward blinked, glancing over at Nolan.

"Izuka was angry that you guys held up the marching," at the trio's wince he just gave an encouraging smile, "Sothe is arguing on your behalf, saying we've been marching long enough." he winced, "Personally, I'm thanking you for this short break."

Leonardo gave a worrying glance at Sothe's frustrated figure, "He seems really tense at the moment." the blonde added after a moment, "You know, I take that back, he's been very stressed looking since last night."

"I wonder what could be wrong? Laura cocked her head to the side."

"Maybe it has something to do with that blue-haired Swordmaster…they did talk last night." Nolan said thoughtfully.

"Who?" Laura blinked, gazing up at the warrior questionably.

"NOLAN!" Leo, Laura and Nolan all jumped and set shocked gazes on the myrmidon, "You're awesome man, I totally forgot! I'm supposed to be asking Zihark if he will train me!" without any warning he threw himself at the confused warrior and hugged him.

Leonardo blinked, "Edward…"

But the brunette was already off, leaving his three baffled friend in his wake.

"What in the world…?"

"I don't know."

"I think the heat waves are getting to his head."

* * *

Edward passed by Izuka and Sothe, who were amazingly still arguing, then Tauroneo and Micaiah. Edward slowed down when he got nearer the older sword master that he wanted to train under. His tall frame was turned away from where the myrmidon stood, instead facing a lavender-haired female. Ilyana?

The brunette felt a strange sensation in his chest, nervousness, it was so foreign he actually waited 'patiently' for the pair to stop talking. The woman gave a peak from around Zihark's frame and a small smile lit up on her face, she motioned to the Swordmaster that there was something behind him.

The blue-haired man did so and blinked, Edward glanced upwards at that strong face before his natural determination seeped courage into his being. "Hi, I'm Edward!" he put out a hand to shake and Zihark looked startled for a moment, slowly accepting the greeting.

"Zihark."

"So you're fighting for Daein too? I'm glad!" Edward started excitably, almost all nervousness forgotten, "I saw when you fought yesterday and it was amazing…" the brunette smiled radiantly and Zihark felt a small warmth spread in his chest, sitting right next to his wariness.

"Yes, Daein is my homeland. Thank you for the compliments." Zihark said briefly, intent on trying to seem cold, but he couldn't seem to stop the small smile on his face.

Edward wasn't at all fazed by the cool demeanor the older male seemed to give off when speaking, "So, I have a request!" his mouth opened to show an array of teeth, his eyes seemed to sparkle.

"W-well…" Zihark didn't want to hear anymore, he told himself he wouldn't get any closer to the myrmidon, and how was he supposed to keep up his resolve if the male was asking him a favor? About to refuse before even hearing the 'request', a sharp elbow in the back of his stopped him, he winced and shot an irritated look at the thunder mage behind him.

"You don't have to accept or anything…" Edward frowned, "But I have a goal in life, I wanna become a stronger swordsman, so, seeing as how you're strong," his feet were shuffling now, "Could you train me? If it's not too much trouble?"

Zihark blinked and behind him, Ilyana stifled a small giggle, "Well I don't-," his female friend elbowed him again and he winced in pain, again, "I…"

Edward gazed up at him curiously, bouncing on his feet, "What?"

The sword master couldn't help but find this situation somewhat familiar.

* * *

_A smaller, but just as calloused hand tugged on his own, and an energetic voice spoke out, "Come on, Zihark, we have to catch him before he disappears again!" her purple hair bounced as she jogged, the other sword master in tow, trying not to trip._

_Another sigh escaped the older one's lips, one among many that day, "Mia, do you really think we should bother him? I mean…"_

"_Aw, what's the harm in asking him? He seems nice enough!" the shorter said cheerfully, pulling the taller along._

"Seems_." Zihark muttered._

_Mia glared at him, "Do you want to get better at fighting or not?"_

_The blue haired male sighed, "Fine fine, I won't complain anymore."_

_Her earlier scowl melted and instead smiled brightly, "Good, you were beginning to dampen my enthusiasm!"_

_They continued their trek among the many tents that were stuck together for the night; they came to the first set of tents that were set up to have a fire-pit in the middle of them. Five shared tents clustered around the makeshift 'kitchen area', and all of the inhabitants already sat around the cheery flame._

"_Hey Zihark, Mia." Calill waved a dainty hand from her spot in between Largo and Nephenee, the sword masters greeted her back._

_Brom, Devdan, Muarim, Tauroneo, and Tormod also shared this area of the camp, "Hey you two, are you suddenly dating or something?" the young fire mage asked teasingly._

"_Little one…" the tall male tiger sighed softly._

"_Uh, no?" Mia answered in confusion, "Why do you ask?"_

"_You're holding hands!" Tormod said loudly, like it was the most obvious thing in the world._

"_Oh." the purple haired woman replied, glancing down at her and Zihark's joined hands, "Whoops, I guess that would make it seem like we're going out." she dropped her grip and chuckled._

"_So what're you youngsters up to?" Brom asked mildly, his accent heavy on his question._

"_We're looking for Stefan." Zihark answered, "Do any of you know where he is?"_

"_Devdan not know, Devdan pay more attention to pretty flowers."_

"_I'm afraid I can't help you," Calill said mildly, "Sorry dears."_

"_I do not know all of the people who are in the army yet, so I can't be of any help." Tauroneo said apologetically._

"_I might of seen him," Largo started and the two sword masters leaned forward eagerly, "But I don't remember, I can check to see if I wrote it down."_

"_No, that's fine." Zihark shook his head, "Thanks."_

"_Last time I saw him was in the battle for Daein keep," Nephenee answered truthfully, "Sorry y'all." Calill glanced over at the halberdier sharply, "Sorry, you two…" the blonde mage looked satisfied._

"_Yeah, that's when we saw him too, except we were split up so…" Mia looked crestfallen._

"_We'll just keep looking then." Zihark said quickly, "Bye."_

"_Later, darlings." Calill waved._

_It took them an hour to actually find the area where Stefan was at; "Huh, there aren't as many tents here," Mia noted, glancing at the three canvas structures._

"_It is one of the smaller enclosures," a deep voice spoke, a tall figure came out from of the shadows carrying a bucket of water._

"_Oh, master Stefan!" Mia jumped._

_The male rose a brow at the usage of the term 'master', "Am I missing something here?"_

"_I saw you in battle, of course, and I think you've earned the title!" Mia smiled._

"_Thank you." Stefan replied, his usual smirk showing on his face._

"_Um, do you mind if we sit with you?" Mia asked nervously._

_The sword master blinked and looked up from his spot kneeling next to the fire with the bucket of water, "Go ahead, Mia, and Zihark." he nodded his head before going back to fixing a kettle over the camp fire._

"_Thanks!" the purple haired Swordmaster tugged on arm of the male beside her, they approached the flames before sitting down._

"_May I ask who all are in the tents?" Zihark asked slowly; suddenly, there was a breathless gasp and Zihark blinked glancing around._

_It had come from the tent behind them, "Wha-?"_

"_That is Volke's tent." Stefan smirked, he had heard the noise too._

_Zihark blushed, "Oh, right."_

_Mia looked confused, "What?"_

_For a brief moment, a memory flashed in Zihark's mind, what had happened when Mist bothered him to deliver some food to the Assassin, but he pushed in away._

"_Er, nothing." the blue-haired male said quickly, "So, Mia, want to ask now?" Stefan looked slightly curious._

"_What is it?"_

_Mia blinked, "W-well, Master Stefan, we were wondering if…You would train us?" she stared at the green haired male, smiling hopefully._

_The older male looked caught off guard for a moment, "The both of you?" he inquired more to Zihark._

"_Yeah…" Zihark felt a small flutter in his heart from apprehension, he hadn't realized how much he actually did want to be trained._

"_Huh, I've seen you two fight…" Stefan seemed to be considering to himself, "Both of you have high potential, it might be interesting to see how this turns out." he murmured to himself, Zihark and Mia exchanged excited glances._

"_Alright, I'll train you." Stefan smiled at the happy expressions the two younger swordsmen gave, "We'll start tomorrow evening, when we stop to camp again."_

"_Aw, no dueling at dawn?" Mia looked sad for a moment, both Zihark and Stefan shared confused glances. "No, that's only for my destined rival anyway!" she grinned and jumped up, startling the two men near her. "Thank you, Master Stefan, I'll see you then!" after a moment, she was bounding off leaving the two baffled to males to stare after her._

"_Is she always that excitable?"_

"_Yes."_

"_Well, I suppose energy is a good thing."_

_Zihark chuckled, "True."_

_

* * *

_

The tall swordsman sighed, he couldn't just say no to Edward…Really, Stefan taught both him and Mia and didn't make a move on either of them! It would be fine, he could train Edward just as a mentor and nothing else would happen. Right? Right.

Zihark glanced back down at the myrmidon in front of him who was still looking expectant and hopeful, "Well, I suppose it would be alright. I saw you fighting too, you have strong potential."

Edward's entire face brightened and he bounced on his feet, "Thank you, Master Zihark!!" the Swordmaster blinked in shock, but before he could say anything, Edward was already running off, "I have to go tell Leo!" Zihark just stared after him, a small smile forcing it's way onto his lips.

After a moment, he remembered he hadn't been alone before Edward got here and turned around, however, Ilyana wasn't anywhere in sight. "What…?"

* * *

Izuka and Sothe had ended their argument, they were already to a good stopping point, and this place would probably make a good stopping place to figure out strategy anyways. So after glaring heatedly at each other, the two went their separate ways.

The rogue decided to drop by where the original Dawn Brigade members were sitting, Edward was exclaiming something loudly, "I can't believe he actually accepted! I'm going to be trained by Master Zihark!"

Sothe stopped dead in his tracks and his eyes widened, Zihark was training Edward now? What about what they just talked about last night? "Did he change his mind…?" the green-haired man shook his head, "No way. I have to see what this is about." the rogue changed his original direction and instead headed to where Tauroneo and Zihark were.

"Hello, Sothe, are you joining us for dinner?" Jill called, Sothe shook his head.

"I just need a word with Zihark," he turned to the now confused sword master, "Zihark?"

"Alright?" they walked a ways away from the group, "Sothe, what do you want?"

The rogue started bluntly, "What are you doing, training Edward?"

Zihark blinked, then his face hardened, "Is there something wrong with that? I'm not in a romantic relationship with him."

Sothe rolled his eyes, "You didn't say 'romantic' relationship, you just said relationship."

"What the- You remember exactly what I said? Sothe that's a little weird."

"Shut up. Well this is beside the point; you're going to be close to Edward if you're training, I thought you said-"

"Being close during training and dating is two different things entirely. Oh wait, I suppose that wouldn't be the case for you."

Sothe scowled, "Well, exactly, what makes you think it's going to be different for you?"

Zihark sighed, "Stefan never made a move on me or Mia once!"

"Zihark, don't be stupid; There's a pretty good reason for that."

"Like what?" the taller male snapped impatiently.

"He didn't find either of you to be his type, not to mention he had a thing for Soren." Sothe rolled his eyes, "_That's_ why he didn't make a move on you!" the rogue gave Zihark a 'you-idiot-wasn't-that-obvious' look.

"I-" now the Swordmaster was backed into a corner, "I…Goddess damn it!" he put a hand to his temple and started to massage it, trying to stop the oncoming headache.

"Zihark, why are you so scared?"

"I don't want to hurt him, Sothe."

"What makes you think you will? What, are you going to abandon the army anytime soon or something?" Sothe looked irritated now, "How will you hurt him?"

"Well, after this is all over and done with, I was thinking of going back to Gallia…"

And surprisingly, Sothe smirked, but it wasn't playful, and definitely not flirtatious, "What, go back to Gallia to wallow in your misery and try to live in memories that will never come back?" Zihark's eyes widened, and he took a step back.

"What?"

"You can't live in the past, Zihark, if you do, you'll never have a relationship again…You'll never move on. I know Daein isn't the best place in the world, but it _is_ your home country; I know you care for the Laguz, but…Isn't that mainly because of your old girlfriend?"

"Three years ago it became more than just that!"

Sothe sighed, lowering his head, "Zihark, I see you won't be swayed from your 'future'. But I need to give you some advice. I know you _think _you won't become involved with Edward just by being his mentor, but that's not true. If you really do not want to hurt him, you will not become his teacher, because _he_ won't fight against any feelings he might develop for you, and your feelings will burden down on you."

"What is this words from an expert?" Zihark sneered.

Sothe smiled sadly, "Yeah, it is. But we worked our problems out by trying out a relationship; from what you have said, Zihark, it's not going to be the same for you two…So, take my advice and just don't become his teacher."

"You say that Edward will become interested, what makes you so sure?" Zihark challenged. His heart was beginning to sink. "There's a high possibility that he won't."

"Not really, Zihark, he looks up to you like an idol already. And he's only seen you for a couple of days." Sothe shook his head, that grim smile still planted on his face.

"What makes you think starting a relationship one day will make it better? I don't see Volke here, and I would think that that would be a sure sign that things aren't going romantically well for you." Zihark snapped. But right after, he knew he had overstepped the line.

Sothe's eyes shut painfully and he started shaking, "Zihark, don't talk about things you don't know about," his voice cracked and the sword master stared at the rogue in concern, "I-I…" he quivered, his golden-brown eyes opened and Zihark flinched at the fire within them.

"Sothe…"

"My current relationship with Volke has nothing to do with your current situation," his voice was a growl, "So refrain from speaking about it."

Zihark wanted to point out that that wasn't exactly true, but there was so much pain the rogue's eyes that he decided not to push the current, probably dangerous situation, "I am sorry."

And just like that, Sothe stopped tensing up, the fire in his eyes died down and his entire being seemed to slump. "Just take my advice; If you believe yourself that you won't be able to keep disappointment from Edward if you become his boyfriend, do not become his mentor. Seeing your situation, and attraction to him, _something_ would happen and things would just be…Unpleasant."

"I thought you only had personal experience from the 'pleasant' end of this mentor/student situation."

"I do, just call it 'using my thinking' skills." Sothe rolled his eyes, "Well, Zihark, I hope you listen to me. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm tired and hungry." the rogue turned on his heel.

"Wait," Sothe stopped with a sigh, "If I don't become his mentor, he'll still be disappointed."

"It's better in the long run."

"Damn it, Sothe, I can't do that! I can't do _anything _willingly that would hurt him!"

The rogue's patience was at an end, "You're difficult, Zihark. Fine, do whatever you want, I guess I can't stop you. But just know, I'm already angry, just from knowing what's going to happen to Edward. You're both going to be in pain, and…" he stopped, "Just forget it, do whatever, I'm not giving you anymore advice or help." then he had disappeared, leaving Zihark alone and frustrated.

* * *

Sothe arrived back at the Dawn Brigade's side of the camp to find everyone in conversation and that Ilyana had joined the group. "Hello." he answered to everyone's greeting.

The rogue sat down next to Micaiah, a small flicker of amusement in his eyes to see that Ilyana was currently asking the Light Mage for food.

"Zihark and Jill both fed me a little of their food, but I'm still hungry…" Micaiah had a faintly surprised look on her face at how much the petite girl could eat in a day, still not quite used to this phenomenon.

"Well, that's not good," the Silver Haired Maiden took a biscuit off of her wooden plate and handed it over to the thunder mage. Ilyana gasped in happiness before completely murdering the bread, Micaiah just giggled, a flush on her cheeks.

Sothe chuckled before turning away from Micaiah and Ilyana to glance over to where Edward, Leonardo, Nolan, Aran, and Laura were talking. Edward really did seem excited that Zihark was going to train him, and perhaps, Sothe could see where Zihark was coming from.

Yet, the rogue did know that if they were around each other more than necessary, feelings would develop and hearts would be broken. Edward was delicate when it came to romance, sure the man was energetic and boisterous, but that didn't mean he wasn't fragile. And Zihark, he had already been rejected once, sure he would be doing the rejecting this time, but it would still hurt him.

Sothe just couldn't see this situation becoming a good thing unless Zihark accepted his quickly growing feelings and acted on them. But Sothe had just head last night and today that Zihark would do no such thing.

The rogue hated feeling helpless as to helping his friends, but he had already tried his best. All he could do was sit and wait. Waiting for the worst, most painful part to come.

He felt worthless, and for the first time in two years, he felt true longing for Volke. After a year of hell trying to forget his Assassin, and shield his mind from the pain of loneliness, it finally seemed to crash down on him.

Memories of meeting Volke, wondering about Volke, talking to Volke for the first time, Volke's lips, Volke's dark moans…Volke, Volke, Volke.

All because of a romance crisis between two of his friends that really shouldn't have effected him so much, was Sothe really that weak? He had thought his barrier against the man was strong, he thought _he _was strong…But now, he was doubting himself, doubting his choice…The choice from three years ago.

Volke…

The rest of his dinner was spent thinking.

**_-(Warning: LEMON!)-_**

_Their breaths mingled, their skin seemed to be one, the air around them was thick with sweat and passion. Volke's mouth was open and pressing heated kisses onto the skin of Sothe's neck, the thief gasped as a rough thrust struck something within him._

_Everything went white, and only Volke and Sothe were there, "V-volke!" the green haired boy cried out, his words broken up into pieces, the assassin brought the shorter male closer to him and picked up his pace, hitting his sweet spot every time, relishing in the high-pitched cries._

"_Sothe…" the boy whimpered in response and tightened the grip of his legs around the older man's waist, burying his face into a broad shoulder, trying to muffle his moans._

_Volke thrust roughly, every stroke making the boy below him cry out into his neck and tighten his nails into his arms, the feeling in his stomach becoming unbearable. "Let me see you, Sothe." the younger didn't want to pull away, but he made himself and stared up into dark eyes. Volke stared at the youth's features, face scrunched up in pleasure, mouth open and golden-brown eyes hazy._

_At a whimper from Sothe's mouth, Volke realized he had slowed down. A scream was torn from the thief as Volke started his fast pace again. He was close now, and Volke could tell._

"_Just let go, Sothe…" his voice was a dark rumble, "Come for me."_

_The coil that had been building within Sothe snapped and he yelled out loudly, the area between the two men becoming sticky. Volke thrust in and out a couple more times before slowing and finally stopping with a gasp, falling down on top of his young lover and sighing in contentment._

_After resting for a moment, he pulled out of Sothe, grabbed the boy around the waist and switched their spots so that the thief was laying across Volke's chest. The green-haired male purred in happiness, snuggling against his lover and kissing the pale skin under him softly._

"_My little thief." Volke murmured._

_Sothe's eyes shot open and he sat up, legs straddling Volke's waist, "V-volke…"_

_Closed eyes opened slowly and Volke gave Sothe a look, one that was probably the closest to confusion Volke was ever going to give, "What is it, my little thief?"_

"_I-I…I need to talk to you about something."_

_Volke blinked at the nervous tone of his lover's voice and sat up, pulling Sothe with him, finally settling with Sothe situated comfortably in his lap._

"_What is it?"_

_The thief frowned, "I was thinking about what's going to happen in the future."_

_The assassin didn't say anything, instead he just listened, which Sothe was grateful for, as always._

"_You know how you said you wouldn't mind if I followed you as an apprentice of sorts?" the thief mumbled, not meeting Volke's questioning eyes._

"_Of course, I would actually enjoy if you followed me, you're very skilled. I thought we already decided this?" Sothe closed his eyes and made a pained noise, "Sothe, what's wrong?"_

"_Well, I know where the person is…"_

_Volke didn't need Sothe to clarify, "The one you've been looking for."_

"_Yes…" he took a shuddering breath, trying to make his voice less shaky, "I'm going back to Daein, to meet up with them again." Volke was silent, but his posture was slightly tenser._

_They were silent for what seemed like forever to Sothe, he broke the silence, "V-volke, please say something?"_

_The man sighed, "It's your life, Sothe, I won't stop you."_

"_Oh…" Sothe closed his eyes, not sure if he was disappointed, happy, or relieved. Disappointed that Volke didn't actually seem to care that much, happy that he wasn't upset, or relieved that he wasn't upset._

_The assassin moved suddenly so that his mouth was on Sothe's neck, kissing upwards towards his ear, "But I will miss you, my little thief."_

"_Mm, Volke…"_

"_I know about a stream nearby, come on." Sothe blushed as he was easily picked up, and held in Volke's arms. A spare blanket was wrapped around them and Volke walked out of the tent, leading them away into the trees. Sothe flushed as they were pressed intimately together…Volke glanced down at him and the ghost of a smirk touched his lips…_

Sothe opened his eyes and saw the roof of his tent, blinking back tears in his eyes. The next day they fought the last battle against Ashnard, and the last he had seen of Volke was talking to the annoying Sage, Bastian.

He didn't know if he would ever be able to find Volke again, the man was always busy with jobs and Sothe didn't think it would be a good thing if he just called on 'the Fireman' to talk. Not with all the work the man had to do.

Sothe wanted to see him so badly, he had forgotten up until today, or perhaps he really did have a strong enough wall to block the man out.

No, not strong, it had been broken by a simple reminiscence. A powerful wall with low durability.

Volke…Sothe had to choose between his heart and his conscience that night, and now, maybe he was regretting it. Perhaps it was selfish, what would people think of him if they knew the truth? What would Micaiah think if she knew he didn't _really_ want to help out Daein?

Sothe whimpered, he had to build up his wall again, this time to both Volke and his thoughts, if he didn't, Micaiah would be able to figure out everything. That couldn't happen.

"Volke…" was the last thing Sothe said that night, and it was full of pain and longing from the bottom of his heart.

* * *

A/N: Zihark is in denial, I know. Uh the lemon? I've never written one before, _ever. _It probably really sucked, sorry guys. It didn't really have anything to do with the plot, but it was little VolkeXSothe action that I just couldn't leave out. If anything it's for Lynnie Kleriker, who is _awesome_, and also for me not to go crazy from lack of VxS in the world.

Thanks to everyone who reviewed. Sorry for the time it took to update, but it will probably take a long time to update again. Don't say I didn't warn you! Though the chapter was pretty long, right?

Please review again, lack of reviews make me not want to update… :(

All mistakes are mine, I do not have a beta. Sorry!


	3. Problems

**Suppressed**

_Disclaimer: _I do not own Fire Emblem.

_Warnings: _Shounen ai

* * *

"Watch your footwork, Edward." Zihark sighed, his next blow knocked his student off of his feet. The brunette landed on the ground heavily and a gasp fell from between his lips. The myrmidon moved dark eyes upward to gaze at his teacher, an embarrassed look on his face.

"Sorry, Master Zihark, I'll work harder, I promise!" The taller man shivered when the word 'master' fell from his student's mouth. He closed his eyes and brushed off the feeling, in the process, worrying Edward. "I'm sorry, really!"

The sword master opened his eyes and looked down to where Edward was still grounded, "It's fine, Edward, just keep practicing." he offered a hand the man, which was accepted moments later.

After pulling the younger male up, Zihark sighed again, he brushed a strand of sweat-covered hair out of his face, "Let's take a break." he turned away from the brunette and took a step towards where their supplies were stacked.

"But-" Zihark sent a stern gaze over his shoulder and Edward's shoulders slumped, "Yes, master Zihark." the Swordmaster walked away, taking slow, steady steps across the lightly trampled grass.

There was a soft sound from behind him and Zihark looked back just in time to see Edward suppressing a yawn.

"Tired?"

Edward's face twisted slightly in panic, "N-no! I'm fine."

Zihark's lips quirked slightly, "We will have to tell General Micaiah that you're not going to be able to join in the next battle."

The myrmidon frowned, "But I'm fine, I could fight in three more battles and be just peachy!" at Zihark's amused smirk, he pouted, crossing his arms. Luckily for the elder, Edward didn't notice the strained look that appeared on his master's face.

"I highly doubt anyone can go through three battles and be in normal condition, Edward." the sword master shook his head, "You'll take the day off from fighting." When the younger man looked ready to protest, he added, "That's an order from your teacher."

"Alright…" when Edward's mood was noticeably deflated, Zihark felt a pang in his chest.

The blue haired man cleared his throat, when the brunette's head had lifted, he spoke, "Maybe I can also stay out of the battle and we can do some light training." The light that awoke in Edward's eyes could be counted as the highlight of the day, Zihark felt a familiar leap in the pit of his stomach and jumped.

He had to ignore those feelings, he had to remain strong. It wouldn't last if he kept up with extinguishing every spark…! It had to go away.

Edward yawned again, this time he didn't hide it, in fact, he went about stretching as well. Zihark swallowed harshly when the brunette's shirt hiked up slightly, he looked away when he noticed the blissful expression on the myrmidon's face.

"Perhaps we should head back to camp?" Zihark asked, a rough accent to his voice. Edward gave a curious glance at his teacher but shrugged it off. He nodded to his master's suggestion, only a little reluctantly now, but that was wiped away soon after.

After Edward and Zihark grabbed their extra weapons and supplies, they started walking in the direction of the camp. The brunette happily walked next to the older Swordmaster, a bright smile on his face, from what, Zihark was uncertain. He was being forced to stop training, he would have thought that that would upset the younger man.

Edward flashed a grin at the taller man and Zihark felt a small flush on his cheeks, a small smile forced its way onto his face. "Thank you for training me, Master Zihark!" the myrmidon said happily before falling silent once more. There was a shy look on his face now.

The elder swallowed, "Your welcome, Edward."

By now, the makeshift camp was surrounding them and the Dawn Brigade could be seen doing various activities. Laura and Leonardo had cooking duty, Jill apparently was keeping Ilyana away from the food supply convoy. Nolan was setting up the meeting pavilion with Tauroneo, Izuka could be seen doing absolutely nothing.

Sothe was helping Micaiah set up her tent; both Zihark and Edward had already finished that chore before heading out to train. "Hey, Zihark, could you help us out over here?" Tauroneo called from across the camp, Nolan and him were noticeably having difficulties.

"I'll see you later, Edward." the sword master said his goodbye quickly before rushing away from the main problem in his life. The brunette sent a 'bye' after him before walking away himself towards Leonardo and Laura.

* * *

Micaiah sighed as she and Sothe put the finishing touches on her tent, after a moment, she gave a worried glance at the rogue, "Sothe?"

The green haired man froze at his 'sister's' tone, "Micaiah."

The silveret frowned and pondered at how to begin talking to her brother-figure, "Sothe, you seem…Very stressed lately, do you want to talk about it?"

"I do? I didn't notice, sorry if I worried you. But really, I'm fine." he answered quickly, but did nothing to quench Micaiah's worries. In fact, it made her even more suspicious that something was up with the normally calm thief.

She bit her lip, "Sothe, please talk to me, I don't want to be forced to figure out what's wrong myself." he stiffened noticeably at the implications.

"I'm fine."

"No, you're not, Sothe. I've noticed even without reading you, you're anxious, and depressed. I should know what's wrong with you, but I don't!" the light mage's voice was shaking.

Sothe scowled, "It doesn't matter, I'll deal with this myself!"

"So you admit that there _is_ something wrong."

The rogue growled, gritting his teeth, Micaiah took a step back at the fierce and foreign expression, "Yes, I admit it, now leave it!" her eyes widened and she backed away from the man she no longer knew. Sothe had a slightly ashamed look on his face, but it was wiped off a moment later. He turned away from the silver haired maiden and walked away without looking back.

Micaiah stared after him, the slight shaking to her frame was barely noticeable, but on the inside, she was a flood of emotions. Hurt, confusion, sadness, and an undeniable curiosity. For so long, Sothe had been like a little brother to her, and now, in an obvious time of trouble for him, she was determined to figure out what was going on.

But she was reluctant to 'read' him, she'd rather figure it out the normal way, and if she had anything to say about it, she would.

* * *

The sun began to lower in the sky, an orange and red glow was cast on the earth below it. The cook-fire crackled merrily, and only matched a few people's moods. Edward, Leonardo, and Laura all chatted together, a comfortable mood emitting from the three. Nolan said nothing but was content to listen to the three younger fighters, chuckling occasionally at their antics.

Tauroneo and Jill both seemed in high spirits, both speaking of possible war tactics to bring up in the future meeting. Izuka was mumbling under his breath as usual, no one actually took notice anymore. Pelleas was being coddled by his mother, all the while insisting that he was capable of eating by himself.

Sothe spoke not a word, even when spoken to, a cold, far-away gaze in his eyes. Zihark was lost deep in thought, a forlorn look on his face. Micaiah gazed at the flames in front of her, her plate of food lay next to her, forgotten.

Ilyana sat next to her, the worried glances she sent to Zihark, Sothe, and Micaiah all went unnoticed by said people. The thunder mage worked up her courage and tapped the light mage next to her on the shoulder, when that did nothing to get the woman's attention, Ilyana sighed.

"Micaiah?" the silveret blinked several times before glancing over at the lavender-haired woman, she 'hmm'd' in response. "Are you alright? You seem very distant today." the silver-haired maiden blinked again before her expression brightened noticeably.

"Ilyana, if you don't mind, can I ask you a few things?" Ilyana was a bit baffled about the sudden change in her friend, but went along with it.

The thunder mage shrugged, "A-alright?"

* * *

**A/N:** Sorry about the shortness of this chapter, and lateness. Probably many grammar problems were seen, I have no beta, so they all belong to

me.

Pairings in this story are:

Zihark/Edward (Main pairing)

Volke/Sothe (Could go far as to say the second main pairing)

Micaiah/Ilyana (A small amount)

Leonardo/Laura (Very light mentions)

_Everyone else you can suggest pairings for._


	4. Torn

**Suppressed**

_Torn_

A/N: Sorry for not updating sooner, I had to play the game again so I could get my inspiration back. Anyways, on with the story.

* * *

It was early in the morning when Zihark woke up; the air was cool, and the sky was still dark, just slight light from the slowly rising sun, which was hidden behind dew-covered trees. Even though it was earlier than necessary, the sword master couldn't seem to fall back asleep. Not that it mattered, he would be staying behind for the battle at Terin, as was decided at last night's meeting.

Izuka hadn't been to pleased, but with a little information on Edward's exhaustion, rendering him useless for a little while, he had reluctantly agreed. Getting permission for Zihark had been tougher, but the blunette had insisted, and it helped that _someone_ had to watch over the camp. All through this meeting, Sothe had merely raised an eyebrow in the sword-wielder's direction, suspicion in his eyes, and perhaps a little warning.

Zihark refused to talk with the rogue, but it wasn't too difficult, seeing as it came likewise from the green-haired man. The Swordmaster refused to listen to Sothe's warnings, and the greenette was getting tired of trying to help Zihark and just being ignored.

Even though they used to get along in the Mad King's war, this argument was enough to tear their friendship apart.

However, Zihark refused to be moved on the subject.

The Swordmaster sighed as he stepped out of his shared tent with Aran, and glanced at the sky, it was getting lighter now…The sun making the world shadowy, Zihark slowly walked towards the cheerily crackling campfire where Nolan was sitting for his watch.

Said warrior looked up in alarm before determining the figure, "Ah, Zihark, I thought it was my turn for the rest of the morning?"

The Swordmaster shook his head, "It is, but I couldn't sleep anymore." the older man nodded, scratching he beard, "Even though I haven't known you long, you seem a bit troubled. I'm not going to pry, of course, but I'm always willing to listen to you, if need be."

Zihark felt a bit touched, "Thank you, Sir Nolan."

The bearded man chuckled, "No need to be so formal." he cleared his throat, "It's not a big deal, I'm used to listening to Leonardo and Edward when they need to cool down."

At the mention of the younger myrmidon's name, Zihark tensed slightly, if Nolan noticed anything, he didn't comment. "Jill should be awake soon, she volunteered to cook this morning."

"Then Ilyana is sure not to be too far behind," the Swordmaster commented fondly, shaking his head.

Nolan blinked, "I've never seen a female eat so much…And men who eat like that are few and far between." he chuckled slightly, "It's actually kind of refreshing, if a little worrying."

"We'll just have to keep up with hunting for food."

The two men fell silent, Zihark staring at the flames in front of him, the sun was now visible through the trees…It wouldn't be too much longer until everyone would get up for a quick breakfast and start off towards their next battlefield. Everyone except Zihark and … Edward. Well, Pelleas, Almehda and Izuka too, but that really didn't cross his mind. Nailah and Rafiel would be there as well, but they tended to keep to themselves unless they were giving advice or talking to Micaiah.

The blunette sighed at the thought of being alone, pretty much, in a camp with the younger man, but pushed the thought away. He had to find a way to distract himself…His thoughts flickered to the night before and sighed; apparently he was the future husband of Meg. He really had no idea how that had happened, all he did know was that he did not want a relationship, even if she was a nice girl. If he was ready for a relationship he'd go straight to E-…

Forget that though.

Zihark ran his hand through his hair in exasperation, _keep with your thoughts straight and this problem will go away_. Right.

* * *

By the time Micaiah got up, the camp smelled of cooking meat, she sighed, inhaling the scent. She yawned, stretching her arms above her head before getting up off of her cot. After getting dressed for the day, she stepped out of her tent and started towards where most of the other warriors were sitting.

Zihark, Nolan, Jill, Laura, and Ilyana all sat around the campfire. Jill cooking, Ilyana sitting close and watching the cooking, Nolan and Zihark speaking softly, and Laura listening. Micaiah had talked to the thunder mage yesterday about Sothe's time in the Mad King's war. But nothing had come up that would lead to why the rogue was acting so odd.

It was driving the silveret up the wall. Speaking of the greenette, he wasn't anywhere to be seen, Micaiah felt worry in her heart but decided not to wonder too much, she continued toward the crowd around the fire, waving at Laura and Jill when they greeted her. Ilyana couldn't seem to stop looking at the cooking food long enough to greet her, Micaiah just smiled in fond amusement. She decided to take a seat next to the hungry mage, nodding to Zihark when did likewise.

"Good morning, Micaiah."

"Morning, Nolan."

Zihark and the warrior went back to speaking, but Laura scooted closer to the silveret, "Hey, Micaiah." the light mage cocked her head in inquiry, "You seemed down yesterday, what was up?" the two conversing men glanced over at them before going back to their conversation.

Micaiah sighed, "I'm fine, Laura, just tired from walking through the desert, and being the general of the Daein army all of a sudden."

The priest nodded, "That's understandable. Well, if you ever need someone to talk to, I'm here for you."

The silveret smiled, "Thank you, Laura." the other woman merely nodded before standing up and stepping away. Micaiah watched as she walked towards Leonardo's and Edward's tent, suddenly curious as to why the two men weren't up yet.

Moments later, Laura returned with Leonardo, both looking worried, "I'm surprised Edward isn't up yet," the archer mused, he turned to Zihark, "Thanks for requesting that he stay behind today, Sir Zihark."

The blunette nodded in return, "It's partly my fault anyway, maybe I'm pushing him too hard in training."

Leonardo shook his head, "Edward being pushed too hard? I don't think so, he pushes himself too hard." the archer sighed in exasperation at the though.

"I checked over him," Laura spoke up, "He'll be fine, just a few more hours of sleep and he'll be back to normal." she giggled, "Knowing him and his energy."

All of the present Dawn Brigade members nodded in agreement.

Everyone was silent for a while, the silence was broken when Tauroneo joined the circle, Pelleas and his fretting mother not far behind. Izuka didn't usually join them for breakfast, so almost everyone was there. Jill spoke up as Almehda sat down next to her tired looking son, "The meal is ready, everyone help yourself."

Ilyana jumped up and was the first one to get food, not that anyone was truly bothered by it, except maybe Almehda who muttered something about her son keeping up his strength.

Aran showed up when Tauroneo, last in line, finished grabbing his breakfast, after greeting everyone, the soldier also got himself some food. Meg was next, she smiled giddily and sat herself next to Zihark after gathering breakfast. The Swordmaster looked noticeably uncomfortable.

Volug, Nailah, and Rafiel arrived together; Nailah and Volug skipped the meal altogether, they probably already ate. Rafiel helped himself to some bread and cheese, herons were not ones to eat meat. The only two not there, besides Izuka, were Edward, who was sleeping, and Sothe…Who was just missing.

Micaiah bit her lip at her friend's absence, where could he be?

She sighed lowered her plate to the ground, even though there was still food on it, after a moment, she decided against it and turned to Ilyana, "Do you want the rest of my breakfast?"

The thunder mage's eyes widened and she nodded vigorously, "Thank you!" she put the silveret's meal onto her plate and handed Micaiah's own plate back to the woman. The branded woman forced a smile back before glancing down at the ground, smile melting away.

* * *

Only when the troop was ready to march did Sothe show up, and Micaiah was even more worried than before. Black circles could be seen under the rogue's eyes, which were slightly red, and his shoulders were slumped. The silveret bit her lip and nodded to herself, she would figure out what the problem was after this battle.

Zihark sighed as the warriors left the camp, watching until they could no longer be seen, he turned back to the camp and frowned to see that everyone who wasn't battling today were nowhere in sight. The only person he knew the location of was Edward, the brunette was still sleeping, surprisingly.

After a moment's hesitation, the Swordmaster decided to grab some breakfast for his student. The brunette had a healthy appetite and missing out on breakfast just because he was tired wasn't fair. After gathering some of the foods Edward had mentioned liking, he walked towards Edward's and Leonardo's tent.

He paused at the entrance briefly before shaking himself, he stepped the rest of the way in and stopped…He stared at the sleeping man in front of him. Brown hair stuck up in different places, his bangs were stuck to his face. The look on his face was peaceful, and there was a slight pout on his pink lips, one of his arms lay across the top of his sleeping mat, the other on the ground. Even though he tried not to, Zihark stared.

His eyes wouldn't listen to him.

Edward's sleeping shirt was slightly hiked up, revealing lightly toned muscles and the edged of his pants, which were a little too low for Zihark's sanity. When the brunette murmured and shifted a little, the sword master finally snapped his eyes away from the teasing skin.

His heart beating quickly, he watched as Edward slowly fluttered his eyes open, staring at the opposite side of the tent. Moments later his eyes turned to Zihark who was still standing there with a plate of food in his hands.

After a look of confusion crossed his face, Edward spoke up, "What time is it?"

Zihark spoke hoarsely, "Almost eleven, most likely."

Edward's eyes widened, "I slept that long!?" he sighed, "So everyone's already left then?"

The blunette cleared his throat so he could speak normally again, "Yes," he looked down at the food in his hands, "Hungry?" the younger of the two lit up, he nodded his head excitedly.

"Thank you, Master Zihark!" the Swordmaster handed the plate to the myrmidon before turning away, "You're not going to stay?" Edward's voice was disappointed and Zihark stopped. "Er, sorry, I shouldn't bother you." his voice turned sad and the what little resolve the blunette had was shattered.

"It's no bother." with that, he sat down on the floor next to Edward, and the myrmidon chattered away happily.

An hour later they were up and training, Edward asking so many times, Zihark had to agree for fear of a terrible headache. That the brunette looked enticing when he pouted had nothing to do with it. Not at all.

Edward was enthusiastic to learn and seemed to soak up Zihark's words like a sponge to water, the blunette was just happy for the distraction from his attra . . . Headache. His distraction shattered and he sighed in displeasure, the myrmidon in front of him blinked and frowned.

"Master Zihark?"

At the shorter man's worried face, the Swordmaster frowned as well, "Sorry, could you go do a warm up, I think I need to think about something."

Even though it was obvious that Edward was curious, he complied to the taller man's wishes, stepping a ways away from his teacher. Once the myrmidon rose his sword for a light practice, Zihark turned away and walked further away, staring at the grassy floor in front of him.

After a few, steadying breaths, he looked up to the blue sky, staring at the clouds slowly drifting…

He calmed his thoughts after a few minutes of this; after assuring this he turned back around and stared… Edward had ditched his shirt and was currently bending over, touching his toes with his fingers, not bending at the knees. Zihark stared.

And stared. His inner self screamed at him to look away, but he just couldn't…Somewhere, deep inside of him - suppressed by his stubbornness - he wanted to look, maybe even do more. Zihark stared at the sight before him until Edward straightened and slowly turned around.

"Sorry, Master Zihark, I was getting warm." his dark eyes searched the taller man's face and the sword master shifted in discomfort.

He cleared his throat before responding, "It's fine."

The brunette smile, "Alright, so what are we going to learn today?"

Zihark was barely able to understand the question, his eyes were drawn to the younger man's chest, and he couldn't seem to look away. Edward waited almost patiently for his teacher to respond, but when he didn't receive a respond for three minutes, he frowned in concern.

"Master Zihark?"

The blunette shuddered and pulled his eyes away from the bare flesh in front of him, "Edward, maybe we should join the force in Terin…They could probably use some reinforcements." the brunette's eyes lit up and he smiled.

"Alright!" he grabbed his discarded shirt and vest, pulling them on quickly to Zihark's relief.

As he and Edward made for the battlefield Zihark didn't know how much longer he could stand this torture.

* * *

Sothe leaped forwards, landing on top of a horse with an enemy rider, he sliced through the man's throat and jumped backwards. His feet landed gracefully on the bridge, and his enemy fell backwards into the stream, dead.

Beside him, Tauroneo brought down another horseman, behind him, Micaiah attacked with Thani and killed another. Ilyana was standing behind Sothe, normally taking down whoever Sothe couldn't with her lighting magic.

Off on the other side of the battlefield would be Meg, Leonardo, Volug, Laura, and Jill. Though Sothe worried for them a little, he wouldn't leave his current position. Though Nolan was next to Micaiah, the green haired rogue couldn't shake of his protective feeling for the silveret.

Though he had snapped at her the night before, Sothe still wished to protect her with all he had. He was actually regretting getting mad at her when she only wanted to help. However, he was paranoid that if she got too close she would see right through him.

She'd see his desires and wishes. Which revolved around one man, and seeing as that man wasn't here, he wasn't as devoted to Daein as he should be. What would Micaiah think of him? Would she hate him?

He didn't know if he could bear that.

* * *

A/N: …Review?


	5. Alone

**Suppressed**

_Alone_

The Daein Liberation Army was getting larger by the second, with every battle won, morale and hope was raised throughout the country. With their next goal in sight, freeing prisoners from the Umono Prison Camp, everyone was getting ready for the task.

Laura sighed as she checked through her stock of staves; her mend staff was beginning to show wear, and if that broke, only heal staves would be left. Hopefully she had grown strong enough that that would suffice for the company's wounds. She believed she had - however - when in a war, one could never get overconfident, especially as a healer, when carelessness could get a comrade or herself killed.

The Bishop took a calming breath, sent a brief prayer to Ashera, and packed away her supplies for the rest of the night. After a moment, she opened her bag again and tucked in an extra vulnerary next to the concoction sitting there.

"Better safe than sorry!" she said to herself cheerfully. Throwing the pack over her shoulder, she stood, wiping dirt from her dress where her knees had made an indent on the ground. A voice from behind her startled her, making her jump, "How are you holding up?"

She turned around blinked to see Nolan standing there, "Y-yes, I'm fine, everything's packed and I'm ready to go through with the next battle."

The tall man nodded, "Good…" he cleared his throat, and she looked on in slight confusion, "If you ever need any help, just call. You've taken a lot of stress off of Micaiah with your healing, so it wouldn't be good if we lost you." the Bishop blinked.

"Thank you, Nolan."

He nodded in reply before turning away, "If you ever need help, just call me, I'll be sure to help you." the man walked away, leaving Laura to stand behind, baffled.

OoOoOoOoOoO

Micaiah was determined to find out what was wrong with Sothe - this was what led her to corner a startled thunder mage, and proceed to interrogate her.

"I-I've already said, I don't know what could be bothering Sothe…" Ilyana spoke weakly, her eyes were fixed somewhere beyond Micaiah. In the direction of the campfire that would be cooking lunch.

"Ilyana, you were around Sothe for at least a year, you have to know a little more." Micaiah had no idea what she was going to do if the lavender-haired mage didn't have anymore information to give. Of course there was always asking the rogue himself, but Micaiah didn't need her far sight to know that was a bad idea.

The mage was almost in pain, she could smell glorious food, and yet, she did not want to disappoint Micaiah…The thunder-manipulator whimpered and clutched her stomach, but the food!

When a small, pained noise escaped the woman in front of her, Micaiah blinked. She looked to where Ilyana was staring and saw that dinner was being made, oh. After gathering an idea, the light sage turned to the lavender-haired female, "Perhaps we could talk over dinner?" the hungry woman looked up, a light in her eyes.

"Y-yes!"

Micaiah cleared her throat, "If you could tell me anything about Sothe, I'll give you half of my dinner as well?" Ilyana nodded quickly, her stomach giving a hungry rumble. Micaiah smiled fondly, it was rather endearing - if you got over the oddness of it - how hungry the woman could get.

After taking in the mage's sight - who looked like she was about to topple over - Micaiah grabbed her arm and pulled her along behind her. Ilyana followed obediently, stomach making a particularly loud rumble, which quickened Micaiah's pace - much to the thunder mage's joy.

oOoOoOoOoOo

Leonardo took hold of Laura's hand and guided her down next to him on one of the logs sitting around the campfire. She smiled softly at him, Jill - on the log next to them - chuckled, "Such a gentleman." Tauroneo's laugh boomed richly moments later.

The blonde merely flushed slightly, ducking his head, "Well…"

Tauroneo turned to the embarrassed archer, "It's hard to believe you aren't of noble birth…You act too courteously." the shorter man merely shrugged, lips firmly closed. "I understand secrecy, I apologize for prying."

"It's no trouble, Sir Tauroneo."

Laura smiled at the man beside her, he truly was a gentleman, and it made her wonder as well. But it probably would be best not to bother him about it. She frowned slightly at the thought that he wouldn't want to tell her about it. She shook her head a moment later, he had things he didn't want to bring up, just like her, it wouldn't be right to get mad at him for this.

Micaiah arrived a few minutes later with a tired looking Ilyana in tow, Leonardo raised a brow at the two women, and Jill smiled almost knowingly. Tauroneo just shook his head, emitting another chuckle heartily. The silver-haired general nodded in greeting to everyone before making Ilyana sit down, "I'll get the food, you just sit here, okay?"

The thunder mage nodded, a content look on her face, she sat back on the log. Micaiah piled two plates full of their share of food, before joining the thunder-mage. After Ilyana ate two pieces of bread, under a minute for both, Micaiah spoke up, "Ilyana, did Sothe have any special people in the army?"

Ilyana slowed down her eating process, a thoughtful expression on her face, "Well…Y-yes, I believe he might of." the mage gave a quick glance to Micaiah, "Does that bother you?"

The light sage barely heard the question, Sothe had had someone in the war three years ago? Why hadn't she heard about this from him? When the silveret failed to answer, Ilyana felt a strange sort of disappointment, "I suppose, you like Sothe that way…"

Micaiah blinked several times, "Huh?" she asked none-to-intelligently, "Me and Sothe? No, we're siblings!" Ilyana stared at her.

"Sothe said you two aren't blood related three years ago."

The mage sighed, "We're as close as siblings." she shook her head, "But that's besides the point; you said Sothe had a close person in the army. Who?" Ilyana shifted in discomfort.

"I don't think it's my place to tell, but…That probably is what's bothering him." the lightning mage looked guilty, "Sorry I can't say more." her eyes took on a hopeful glint, "Do I still get half of your lunch?" Micaiah laughed quietly.

"Of course." after piling the rest of her dinner onto Ilyana's plate, she fell deep into thought. There was nothing to do but confront Sothe completely, even if he lashed out, Micaiah had to know.

OoOoOoOoO

"_You have to be quicker to pull this move off, Sothe." the assassin moved to demonstrate Lethality again, the thief lowered his weapon to watch. The older man's movements were always smooth, graceful…Deadly, Sothe could spend hours just watching the man go through his training sessions. They were almost entrancing._

_The younger boy took in every movement, he understood what he had to do - however, he didn't think he would be able to pull it off if he attempted it. When Volke finished, he glanced over at the thief seated on the ground._

"_Are you going to try again?"_

_Sothe frowned and stared at the ground, "I don't think I can…I'm not talented like you are." Volke sighed and moved towards his small shape on the grassy terrain._

"_Why do you say that? I saw you fighting yesterday, you've been getting better everyday."_

_The green-haired boy lowered his head, "Be that as it may, I'll never be as strong as you are." the assassin was silent, and Sothe refused to say anything more._

"_I wouldn't be so sure of that." Volke said simply, when Sothe glanced at him inquiringly, he stayed silent. The thief sighed, moving his eyes back to the ground in front of him. He started when the man's arm wrapped around his shoulders._

_He accepted the comfort with it._

The rogue flickered his eyes open, grimacing at the ache in his back and neck from laying against a tree for so long…Sothe slowly stood, cracking his back slowly and carefully. He glanced up at the sky and sighed, it was almost time to for the army to move out and free the Umono Camp prisoners.

Though he was tired, he was ready, there hadn't been a time when he wasn't tired anymore…So he was used to it. There was nothing he could do to remedy this situation anyways.

After gathering his thoughts, Sothe walked towards camp, he had to be sure that his mind was steeled just in case he ran into Micaiah. She could easily read him if she wanted to.

The various tents still pitched soon surrounded Sothe, and voices could be heard discussing the upcoming battle. The rogue kept an eye out for Micaiah, slightly wary. She shouldn't be hard to spot if nearby…Not with the silver hair.

If he had been more rested, and not so distracted with looking with his eyes for her, he would have noticed her sneaking up behind him. When her voice called his name quietly behind him, Sothe jumped, shoulders tensing noticeably.

"M-Micaiah." Sothe carefully avoided looking at her and Micaiah felt her spirits drop slightly.

She frowned sadly, "Unhappy so see me?"

"No…"

Micaiah glanced up at his face, into his eyes, which were currently fixed somewhere behind her. He was once again looking exhausted and had had red tinted eyes - a tell-tale sign of past, but recent, tears. "Sothe…I need to talk to you."

Sothe froze, "We have a battle coming up and I need to take down my tent."

The silveret was about to protest, since he had already done that, but he was already gone without a backwards glance. Micaiah merely sighed, she should have been expecting this…He always had been stubborn.

She needed a different approach.

* * *

Volug tore his claws into the opposing fighter in front of him, Jill was beside him with her axe…Zihark and Edward had already mounted the staircase, taking down the mage that attacked them. On the staircase that they had just left, Laura, Nolan and Leonardo were taking down the two armored knights standing guard.

Somewhere, Micaiah and Sothe had taken a detour, following the familiar voice of Tormod. Jill shook her head at the fire mage's antics, at least some things didn't change. She frowned as she and Volug took down the remaining myrmidon, if only Haar would show up…

She snapped back into action, it wasn't the time to reminisce…

Edward rounded the corner of the hallway and narrowly missed the fire spell aimed at him…Zihark was still fighting behind him, so he would have to fight alone. The brunette lowered his body into a defensive stance, staring at the red-robed man in front of him. Said man fingered his tome, an air of confidence wafting around him.

The myrmidon held his sword, relaxed but attentive, he continued to take in his opponent's movements…Or lack of. Suddenly, the mage was stepping back, opening his tome and speaking. All in a few seconds, Edward blinked, and just barely dodged the licking flames sent at him. He wasn't able to dodge the second one, the fire encased him and he bit back a scream.

He fell to his knees, hot burning still wrenching whimpers from his lips.

The sound of the enemy mage's spell entered his ears, and Edward numbly realized that he wouldn't be able to make a move to dodge. This next wave would be his end, he kept his eyes closed…Just the incantation neared its end, he was slammed into the wall beside him.

Edward cried out in pain as his burnt skin met harshly with the gray stone of the prison wall…He vaguely noted a curse from a voice that sounded distantly like Zihark's before slipping into darkness.

Zihark bit his lip as Edward slumped in his arms - still breathing thankfully - he glared at the Fire Sage across from him…Apparently his expression fierce enough to make the man flinch in fear. The Swordmaster refused to set the man in his arms down, so - pulling Edward along with him - he attacked the Sage angrily.

The man fell from one harsh stroke, after making sure he was dead, Zihark turned around. He kneeled down, Edward cradled in his arms. He took a vulnerary out of his belt-pouch before setting the man against the wall.

Zihark flinched to see that the young adult's shirt was burnt in several places, showing charred skin through the spaces. He couldn't contain the worry…Not with the myrmidon unconscious right next to him, and with Laura nowhere in sight.

He delicately pulled off the ruined shirt, setting it off to the side, he let his gaze run across the damage. For once, he wasn't distracted by bare skin, now was not the time. The Swordmaster barely acknowledged Jill and Volug turning around the corner.

After opening the vial of healing liquid, he poured some onto his hands, "Jill, could you find Laura and bring her here?" after gaining an affirmative answer, he ran his drenched hands across Edward's chest. He ignored any feeling except concern while gently rubbing vulnerary into scorched wounds.

The brunette groaned slightly, and to Zihark's astonishment, opened pain-glazed eyes, "Master Zihark…?" he spoke weakly.

"Just relax, I don't know when Laura will arrive, so this will have to do. Sorry if you're in pain."

Edward stayed silent, nodding his answer.

Zihark noticed dark eyes fixed upon him, but he ignored it, instead he continued to tend to the myrmidon's wounds. His hands slowly rubbed across the boy's shoulders, noting happily that the burnt skin was beginning to clear.

He lowered back down to Edward's chest, hesitating when the brunette's breathing seemed to speed up…He swallowed, now was not the time. Zihark pushed his fingers into muscled skin, rubbing almost affectionately across the firm chest. He lowered further when the skin cleared as much as possible, he completely stopped when Edward gave a small groan.

His fingers hovered over the myrmidon's stomach, his eyes flicked up to Edward's face, only to see that the man was barely awake. Zihark swallowed harshly before moving back into action…He rubbed softly, unable to ignore his appreciation of Edward's skin, even when marred by scorch marks.

The sound of footsteps made him jump, Laura landed on her knees next to him, and Zihark couldn't figure out if he was grateful or unhappy of the disruption.

OoOoOoOoO

Edward blearily opened his eyes, and blinked at the sight of the tent ceiling that greeted him. What happened? Was it all one messed up dream? He tried to sit up. He groaned as he fell back down onto his cot. Okay, maybe not.

The brunette opened his eyes again from when he had closed them from pain. This time, he slowly eased himself up, swinging his legs over the side of his makeshift bed. He was about to stand when Leonardo burst into the tent.

"Where are you going?" the blonde's voice was stern and Edward winced.

The brunette shrugged, "Out of the tent to find out what happened?"

Leonardo sighed, "You got attacked by a fire sage, Zihark saved you, you were out of it for the rest of the battle." almost as if he had read Edward's mind he added, "Zihark fought enough for the both of you, and is currently recuperating in his tent."

At the downcast look from his normally cheerful friend, the archer cleared his throat, "He said not to worry, Ed. He was happy to help you. Honestly, I think he was more worried about you than me!"

The myrmidon paused, why did that fill him with such a happy feeling? "Leo, can you let me out of here? I kind of want to thank him."

Leonardo rolled his eyes, "You need to rest, Ed."

Edward pouted, "Please?" when the blonde was about to argue he put on his best puppy eyes.

"That's not going to work, Eddie." the archer stuttered, looking anywhere but at his best friend's face, "R-really.

OoOoOoOoO

Zihark stared at the other side of his tent, which was currently empty on the account of Aran being at dinner. The blue-haired man was sore. His back felt like it was made of knots, his arms were like wood, and he couldn't find sleep because of it.

But he was happy, Edward wasn't in critical condition.

The sword-master moved his shoulders slightly, cracking his neck in the process. He couldn't recall a time he had been this weak feeling. He drooped his head, trying to relax a little, but it wasn't working all that well. He sighed and leaned back slightly, a moment later he found that that wasn't the best idea.

There was silence, and Zihark tried to close his eyes and go to his happy place, yet still stay aware of his surroundings.

The sound of footsteps made him open his eyes yet again, they were slow steps, speaking of the person's nervousness. He couldn't figure out who it was.

Suddenly, the person broke into a fast walk and a moment later, Zihark was shocked to hear Edward's voice, "Master Zihark?" his mouth was suddenly dry.

He cursed Ashera, "Come in…"

The myrmidon slowly stepped in, nervously glancing at his teacher, "Um…"

Zihark just stared at him, the brunette definitely looked better than before, his heart eased slightly before it stared beating faster. Edward had decided to walk towards him, eyes dark and attempting to read the older man in front of him.

"H-how are you?"

"I should be asking you that."

Edward shrugged, "It was a little painful when I first got up, but I'm fine now." he paused, "Your turn!" his cheery voice had a hint of nervousness in it.

"Perfectly fine." even as he said this, his back decided to twinge, he grunted softly.

His surprisingly attentive student didn't miss it, "You're actions say something different, Master Zihark." he smiled softly, "Is your back hurting? You look really tense." the blue-haired sword-fighter said nothing, instead he opted to stare warily at the slowly approaching Edward.

"I can help with that…I kind of feel bad about today."

"There's no reason to."

Edward sighed, "If you say so." he stopped right in front of Zihark who was frozen, "I still want to help you." without any permission, he dropped right next to this teacher. Not unaware of the man's tense shoulders, not just from his day fighting.

When Zihark did nothing to stop him, Edward sat up on his knees, inching himself behind the shocked Swordmaster, "Er, just try to relax." gaining to reply, the brunette touched the man's back with trembling hands. He squeezed down and tilted his hands slightly, jumping when he drew out a pleasured groan from the man in front of him.

Edward flushed slightly, heart speeding up. He rubbed faster, applying pressure and rocking his hands back and forth, palms pressing into knotted flesh. Zihark couldn't find it within himself to stop the brunette behind him. Nor could he find the willpower to stop the moans erupting from his mouth, "_Oh goddess…_"

The younger man blinked and hesitated briefly before deciding he rather liked hearing Zihark's rich voice whispering in pleasure. He smiled and lowered his hands from the man's shoulders to his back, squeezing firmly and drawing out another moan.

Zihark's eyes had closed a while ago, and his back had completely lost it's ability to stand alone, he leaned back into the myrmidon's chest, neck resting on the boy's shoulder.

Edward sucked in a breath at the other man's face so close to him…He continued his exploration of the man's back and reached his lower half. Aquamarine eyes snapped open and he stared up at the brunette with dark eyes.

Quick as lighting, Edward found himself trapped beneath the taller man, eyes wide and mouth open in shock. Zihark's face was suddenly right in front of his and his lips were met by the older man's. Edward's eyes fluttered shut, but he was too frozen to kiss back.

The Swordmaster ran his tongue along the other's lips before entering his still open mouth…He attacked blissfully, tasting the younger sword-fighter's tongue. And just as quickly as it began it ended, Zihark pulled away in shock. Edward's eyes were still shut, and the boy was completely immobile.

Zihark turned on his heel and ran out of the tent, yelling at himself internally.

Edward was left to open his eyes, take in the sight of the still swinging canvas entrance and stare on in confusion. He felt utterly alone.

* * *

A/N: Alright…Sorry for stopping there. Please review! I'll update as soon as possible. Was that too abrupt?

Thanks to everyone who reviewed.


	6. Information

**Information**

_Disclaimer: I do not own Fire Emblem!_

When Micaiah woke up the morning after the battle in Umono Prison camp, she wasn't expecting tension strong enough to reach her in her tent. She could literally identify all of the emotions swirling around… Anger, depression, sadness and confusion; for some reason, with these feelings already dominant in her senses, she could perceive other, less-striking ones as well. Hunger, happiness, anticipation. However, they weren't as interesting as the first four she had sensed.

The silveret's lips turned down as she lifted herself out of bed, feet meeting with cold, dry dirt - enticing a shiver from her. She quickly grabbed her clothes and dressed as quickly as possible, after doing so, she pushed aside the tent-flap and stepped outside.

Even though the sun was just beginning to rise in the east, there was already activity throughout the camp; curious, Micaiah headed towards the main attraction of excitement. The silveret came into view just as Jill was finishing up the cooking - the woman had been doing that recently.

"Morning, Micaiah!" Laura called, indicating with her hand to the spot next to her, "Have a seat, you look a little pale." the golden-brown eyed woman didn't doubt it.

When she had left her tent, the negative vibes from somewhere in the camp had just gotten worse, it seemed to be taking its toll on her. She actually felt a bit weak and hungry, like her energy was being sapped - it was baffling.

After taking Laura's request to heart, she wearily took in the sight of her comrades sitting once again around the campfire. There was a noticeable lack of three people, made more worrisome by the fact that even Izuka, Pelleas, and Almehda were already at breakfast.

"…Does anyone know the whereabouts of Sothe, Edward, and Zihark?" the silver-haired general asked worriedly. Leonardo, beside Laura, shifted in discomfort, he cleared his throat.

After gaining the silveret's attention he spoke up nervously, "Well, last night, Edward seemed very upset about something…But he refused to talk to me about it, actually he didn't say anything at all." several people were shocked by this declaration.

"Zihark didn't arrive in our tent until I was asleep, and he was up before I was as well." Aran added, shrugging slightly.

Micaiah bit her lip, something was very wrong with this, "And Sothe?"

Nolan was the one to speak up this time, "I haven't seen much of him, even more so since after yesterday's battle." Tormod, sitting between Nolan and Muarim, pouted sadly.

"I'm used to seeing Sothe grumpy and quiet, but it was pretty bad yesterday…I thought it might just be how he is now-a-day's. But I'm not sure." the red-head had a worried expression implanted on his normally cheerful face, beside him, Muarim awkwardly pulled him slightly closer for comfort.

The silver-haired maiden was silent, she didn't know what was up with Zihark and Edward, however, she felt she was getting closer to what was wrong with Sothe. She was willing to guess that it _was_ a past relationship from his time in the Mad King's War that was bothering him. However, she couldn't help him if he didn't speak to her about it.

She desperately wished he would, he was obviously being torn up by this whole ordeal…He had been _crying _for Ashera's sake! Even with all of the years she had known him, she rarely saw him cry, and now, to see the tell-tale signs at almost all times…

If she ever found out that the person Sothe had been with had hurt him to make him so distraught, she would personally hunt them down and inflict pain on them. Lots of pain.

Micaiah sighed, she needed to look for him, somehow - she would have to get him to talk… "I'll see what I can do, Tormod. Please excuse me." after sending a quick farewell she stood and left the circle around the fire.

The silveret glanced around and heaved a weary sigh, were was she to begin? Sothe was a master at hiding, and somehow, she knew that's exactly what he was doing. Closing golden-brown eyes, Micaiah let her mind probe the camp…Though they were only vague shapes of life without a way of telling who exactly it was, she could sense people. She nodded and headed in the direction of the life source, maybe - with a little luck - she would run into Sothe.

Light footsteps padded across the earthen ground, and Micaiah stopped, waiting for the unknown person to show themselves first. She simply watched as Edward stepped out of the shadows - suppressing slight disappointment - but blinked when she took in his mannerisms. His shoulders were slumped, eyes red from a lack of sleep, dark marks underneath his tired eyes seemed to enhance his exhausted appearance.

Micaiah found her voice after a moment of her friend simply standing there in front of her, "E-Edward…? Ashera, what's wrong?" the brunette glanced up at her, sadness and disappointment filled his gaze and it would be an understatement to say that the silveret was unnerved.

The myrmidon simply shrugged, "Mm…"

Sothe would have to wait, the pain emiting from Edward was not something she could simply ignore, she had to fix this, even a little. Micaiah grabbed the brunette's elbow and easily lead him towards a grassy space in between two tents. After a little urging, she managed to sit Edward down, he did so dully, eyes still sad.

Micaiah sat down across from him, arranging her scarf so that she wasn't sitting on it, once settled she let her gaze settle on the depressed myrmidon. "Edward…Please talk to me, I'm certain I can help you." in all actuality she wasn't really sure about that, however, she would try.

Edward frowned and stared harshly at the ground, hand clamping around a fistful of grass, she read into his mind only slightly; long enough that she was able to sense his anger and disappointment, mostly aimed at himself.

"Why are you angry at yourself, Edward?" he froze, fingers tightening around the blades of green in his clutches, but he didn't speak. "Please talk to me, Eddie - I wouldn't judge you, you know that, right?" his lips trembled and he peeked upwards at Micaiah through brown bangs.

The silver haired maiden almost gasped at the emotion-filled eyes before her, "Oh, Edward, you have to tell me what's wrong…It's not just hurting you, it's hurting me."

His mouth opened and he sighed, "L-last night…I went into Master Zihark's tent," Micaiah blinked several times, astonished, "I was feeling guilty, so I gave him a back massage…"

The silveret flushed, she couldn't lie, that image was slightly …Nice. "I don't really know exactly what happened, but I got around to his lower back when him suddenly tensed up. Next thing I know, he was kissing me."

Micaiah's eyes widened, what?! "I-it was nice, but I didn't know what to do…I've never kissed anyone before! I think I disappointed him, because he left a moment later." Edward's eyes darkened, "I didn't want him to leave, I wanted to kiss him back - but…"

The silveret sitting across from the brunette couldn't believe it - Edward and Zihark had had something going on, and yet she never noticed? What happened to the clarity she had when it came to reading people?! She shook her head and turned her attention back to Edward.

"H-he probably was bored by me and that's why he rushed out…I'm not good enough for him." the brunette's shoulders were lowered, and his head was hanging low, "He was probably right to leave, I was just a mistake to kiss."

Micaiah bit her lip and shook her head vigorously, "Don't think that, Edward!" she quickly reached out with her mind and sought out Zihark personally…

What she got was slightly comforting, in an eccentric way; Guilt, longing, and anger directed at himself… The silver-haired General stared at Edward with sharp, knowing eyes, "I'm sure he is just as confused as you are, Eddie. Don't give up hope that he might like you, alright?"

Edward simply stared at her with eyes filled with slowly rising hope, "Just…Go back to your tent and wait there, okay? I'll figure something out, alright?" he blinked and shrugged.

"You know best, Micaiah…" he still had a hopelessly confused look on his face though…

The Light Mage simply smiled, "Alright, I'll see you later tonight, okay?" he nodded slowly, but that was enough for her. She had a Swordmaster to find.

She stood hastily and without a backward glance, rushed towards the blue-haired sword-wielder's aura. She found herself in a clearing, slightly surprised; it was peaceful, she probably wouldn't have found it without tracking Zihark.

Speaking of which…Said man was currently standing in front of a tree, shoulders tense and hands clenched around his sword's hilt. At a closer glance, Micaiah was able to see slashes across the once-healthy bark, all obviously fresh from the man in front of it.

Zihark apparently wasn't aware of her yet, so Micaiah cleared her throat loudly, the man jumped slightly and whipped around. Though his sword wasn't completely raised from it's place at his side, it was still tightly in his grip. However, that grip slackened slightly, when he realized who was standing in front of him.

"Sir Zihark?" the silveret asked clearly, he nodded slightly in acknowledgment so she continued, "I need to ask you something, may I?" after a moment's hesitation, he inclined his head again, slower this time, "It's about Edward."

His posture - which had relaxed slightly since she had first arrived - tensed up again and he turned around, slashing at the tree with lightning quick movements. Micaiah jumped, she hadn't even seen the blade move before it had cut a fresh mark across the abused bark!

"Wait, please…I know you're upset with yourself…"

The man paused and he whispered softly, "How…?"

Micaiah ignored his question, "But you're not the only one, Edward is upset as well." he smirked darkly, and the silveret jumped slightly, freezing slightly at the look.

"I would think so…The way I took advantage of him - why wouldn't he be upset?" at his self-hating tone, Micaiah relaxed slightly, at least he wasn't taking some type of twisted pleasure out of Edward's sadness.

However… "That's not why he's upset, he thinks you found him unsatisfactory, and that's why you left…He thinks he failed at pleasing you when he didn't do anything to kiss back." Though it was more of Edward's place to tell Zihark this, she didn't think he actually would…So she had to say something to get this along.

"W-what?" the blue haired man stuttered, disbelief in his eyes, "Pleasing me? He wanted to…" his hair swayed softly as he shook his head, then spoke up to the woman before him, "I'd understand if you said no, but could you please tell me where I might find Edward… I need to talk to him."

Micaiah nodded in understanding …however, "I'll only tell you if you give me some information." Zihark blinked in confusion, but motioned with his had for her to go on. She swallowed, this was it, if he couldn't give her a clue, she would have some trouble figuring out Sothe's problem.

"In the Mad King's War, Sothe had someone he cared about…How deep was that relationship, and who was it?" she wanted the information from her friend's lips, however, he wouldn't give that information up easily, if at all.

Zihark's eyes widened and then grew distant, "Figured out that much, eh?" he smiled sadly, "Sothe and …Volke, were really close during the war three years ago. Not only were they boyfriend and boyfriend, they were lovers as well."

Golden-brown eyes widened; the boy she saw as a little brother…Had already lost his innocence? Three years ago…That would be - "They were lovers near the end of the war, at least, right?" Zihark almost laughed at the dazed expression on her face.

"Sorry…No, they got together really early. They didn't wait long for their physical relationship to start either." Micaiah resisted the urge to faint, Sothe…He would have been so young. Not only that, she had just now learned that he liked men - not that she had a problem against it. It was just so sudden, and such a huge amount of information to swallow.

Well, not really, but it was quite something.

"T-thank you, Zihark. Edward should be in his tent at the moment, fix this up okay?" she stood still, staring ahead of her, even as the sword-master said good-bye and left. _I can't believe I knew nothing about this…Goddess, no wonder he is so torn up by this - Oh Sothe…_

She frowned and reached out with her spirit again, searching for Sothe - after several minutes of looking and no results, she pulled back into her body and sighed. Where was he? When had he learned to hide himself from her so well? Micaiah shook herself, she would just have to find him the normal way - by searching every corner of the campsite.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

Micaiah was getting irritated, where could he be? Why couldn't she find him? Why did he have to be avoiding her? Her anger melted away, _oh Sothe…I wish you would just talk to me - I wouldn't be mad at you for having a lover…_But it had to be something more than that as well, but she couldn't come up with a good reason.

The silveret sighed and slowed down her trek across the campsite, she spotted a nearby tree and decided to lean against it. A weary sigh escaped her lips and she let her head fall back against the rough bark, ignoring it when her hair snagged slightly. Golden-brown eyes closed and she steadied her breathing, relaxing as much as she could.

A small noise made her open her eyes again, she blinked at the sight of movement in the tree above her… Was that a shoe? A flash of beige - Sothe!

"Sothe!" relief completely filled her voice and she heard a curse, she brushed away the slight hurt at that. "I'm going to talk to you, come down." two sets of eyes blinked at the unexpected tone, _where did that come from?_

Micaiah didn't spare it much more thought, Sothe seemed to listen to her because of it. Slowly, the rogue jumped down from the tree, branch to branch. "Micaiah."

The silveret merely stared at him, waiting until he reached the ground, when he was in reach, she grabbed his arm. He blinked at her, surprised written on his face. Micaiah took a deep breath.

It would be best to cut to the chase, probably.

"Who's Volke?"

The keyword had been probably, it was sort of a 50-50 thing…Either bluntness would bring about productive results, or a total disaster. It was just Micaiah's luck that it was the latter…

Sothe tore out of Micaiah's grasp and jerked away as if burned, his eyes were wide and filled with so many emotions the opposing silveret gasped. "S-sothe?"

"D-did…I - you…N-no…Please - I'm so-sorry." Micaiah couldn't make any sense of his words so she paid more attention to the feelings flashing across his face and through his eyes. Pain, regret, longing, sadness, love, guilt, anger, desperation…Misery. The green-haired rogue fell to his knees and a broken sob escaped his lips.

"V-volke!" Micaiah's heart clenched at the pleading cry, "M-Micaiah…do - hate - me?" he could barely speak through his shivering and stuttering. Though he wasn't outright crying, every time he would utter Volke's name, his voice would contort to a watery-broken tone.

The silveret fell to her knees and got as close to her friend as he would allow, "M-miss Volke…Love- Daein…But too - Volke…" he shuddered and Micaiah couldn't contain herself any longer, she threw herself at him and brought him into her arms.

He didn't fight, merely leaned into her embrace, head resting on her shoulder, "S-sorry…But I - Volke…" the light mage just closed her eyes and listened, trying to make sense of his words, but more aimed at just listening.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

Edward idly kicked his feet, staring at the grass beneath him and his cot…He wondered what Micaiah was doing - what Zihark was doing. She said not to worry, and though he believed her when she said things would work out, he was still nervous.

He twiddled his thumbs, biting his lip and humming tunelessly and aimlessly, trying to distract himself from his thoughts.

Footsteps approached and Edward perked up, maybe it was Micaiah, here to tell him what he needed to do. To offer guidance. When the person stopped in front of the entrance of the tent, Edward blinked, for some reason, he didn't think it was Micaiah.

"Edward?" oh, definitely not Micaiah.

The brunette swallowed, "Y-yes, Master Zihark? You may come in."

The tent flap moved aside and Zihark's tall frame entered the tent, Edward immediately noticed that aqua eyes were filled with guilt. _What for? I was the one to push you away… _The brunette shook his head, Micaiah told him not to think that! - But, he couldn't help it.

Zihark stood at the entrance, looking slightly lost, but obviously in thought, "What do you need, Master Zihark?" Finally, the blue haired Swordmaster snapped out of it and glanced at the myrmidon still sitting on the cot. "You can sit down."

After taking a deep breath, the older man accepted the offer and slowly sat next to his student, feeling awkward. They were silent for a while more before Zihark came up with what he was going to say. "About last night…"

Edward glanced over at his teacher's handsome face and blushed, last night… "Yes?"

Zihark frowned, "It was a…Misunderstanding. I'm sorry I kissed you, but it was just a kind of instinctual reaction. I apologize for taking advantage of you." Edward blinked and merely stared, suppressing the urge to show his disappointment.

"I promise it won't happen again."

The brunette just nodded, which Zihark saw out of the corner of his eye. He couldn't bring himself to fully look at the myrmidon sitting next to him. "Well then, if that's all…I'll be going." Standing, and receiving no words from Edward, Zihark made his way back to the entrance of the tent.

He paused, wondering if he should say something else…However, nothing came to him, so he just left, leaving Edward to sit on his cot. Alone feeling once again.

The older Swordmaster sighed heavily; if it was true that Edward was angry at himself for not pleasing him, he had to stop it before it got too serious. He couldn't let the myrmidon fall for him, so he would just brush the kissing incident off like it was nothing. The Swordmaster still believed that staying away from Edward was the best course of action. Nothing could come of their relationship.

* * *

**A/N: **Don't hate me, please! I stopped at a bad time with Micaiah and Sothe…Made Zihark's stubbornness kick back in, and yeah - I won't update this until a Monday. I made an updating schedule for my stories, it's on my profile. This story from now on will only be updated on Mondays. Whether it's this Monday or the next, I'm not sure…

Um…Those who are rooting for Zihark and Edward to get together soon are going to be a little irritated at me. I won't say anymore on the matter. They will get together though, don't worry! Eventually.

I have a sequel planned. It'll be based around Volke/Sothe though; more information will come out when I post more chapters. Anyone interested in a sequel?

Er, reviews are appreciated, and thanks to everyone who reads and likes the story. Of course to my reviewers as well! (I felt this was a little rushed...Any comments on that?)


	7. Broken Resolve

**Suppressed**

Broken Resolve

**Disclaimer: **_I do not own Fire Emblem or the Bard's Tale. Which is were the beer song came from._

OoOoOoOoO

The news had spread around quickly, the war was over, just like that - the Apostle had done her part and now they were done. "It almost seems unreal…There was no battles to end the war - it was so quick, it seems too easy." Leonardo muttered.

Nolan nodded, "Aye, it does seem too easy, but it _is _over and that's all that matters." he scratched his beard thoughtfully, "Even if it is slightly worrying, if there's a reason for this feeling, we'll be ready to continue fighting."

Edward smiled, "Just like before, we did it then, we will be able to do it again!"

"Considering the fighting _does_ start anew." Laura reminded the three men.

Nolan chuckled, "Right, perhaps I was getting a little ahead of myself." Leonardo scratched his head in embarrassment while Edward merely grinned sheepishly. "Alright, enough of this negative chatter, there's a feast and celebration to attend." the warrior stood from his seat on the ground, motioning for the other three to do the same.

"You're right, as usual…" Leonardo stood up next, brushing himself off and offering a hand to the priest on the ground. Laura let herself be pulled up, smiling at Nolan all the while.

Edward stood up last, but quicker than the others, "It really is true - age makes you smarter!" Leonardo nodded, Nolan sighed and Laura giggled.

"None of that, youngster!" his tone wasn't angry though - it was more of a type of fond exasperation. "Alright, let's go, maybe we'll run into Micaiah or Sothe - we haven't seen much of either of them lately, tonight of all nights should be different."

The young myrmidon nodded cheerfully, "I hope so, I miss seeing them…" he glanced around, "I'm going to the party!" then he was bounding off, leaving three to smile fondly in his wake.

"Always so energetic…" Leonardo murmured.

Laura laughed, "What would we do without him?"

"We'd be a lot less happy, that's for sure." Nolan replied.

OoOoOoOoOo

Zihark sat at the table set up for the feast, staring at the wood beneath his hands dully. The war was over, he had done his part, Prince Pelleas said he was free to leave at any time…And yet, he couldn't imagine being without these people anymore.

Nolan with his knowledgeable words and indulging conversations, Nailah and Rafiel with their stories of Hatari. Volug and his comfortable companionship, Leo and Laura and their pleasant mannerisms…Even with Tauroneo and Jill, he had grown closer to them than even in the Mad King's War. Sothe hadn't been pleasant, however, that's only because he hadn't heeded the rogue's well-meaning warnings.

He had been right…Well, Zihark wasn't doing too well not having Edward as his, but the myrmidon seemed better off than predicted. That's good. If the brunette was unhappy, it would be much more tough on Zihark, he didn't know if he could bear a sad face on the other man.

Still, not being with Edward was taking its toll; he had discontinued training with Edward, even if the other didn't know it yet. He would find out soon, though, and Zihark knew he would have to leave for a while to avoid the brunette.

Even with that coming up, Zihark couldn't find it in himself to plan for a trip back to Gallia…He actually enjoyed himself here - it didn't feel right anymore to leave. Yet…Edward - would it be right to be with him now, after the way he had told him it was a mistake to kiss him?

The blue haired sword master sighed and stopped thinking, he could feel a headache coming on. Zihark stood and looked for the refreshments table, a drink sounded pretty good about now. He passed by Aran and nodded his head in greeting, the green-haired soldier waving back.

He arrived a little after a few minutes of searching; Tauroneo was already sitting there with a mug in his hands, "Evening, Zihark."

"Evening, Tauroneo." the blue-haired man took a seat next to the older man, calling to the man who was serving the drinks with his order. Several more people joined the two around the bar, and soon, the surrounding area was filled with laughter and merry chatter.

Aran and Nolan joined around sunset, both sitting around Tauroneo and Zihark - Nolan to the left of the white General and Aran to the right of the Swordmaster. "Ahh, nothing like a good cup of ale and the refreshing evenin' air…" Tauroneo, apparently, was beginning to get a tad tipsy.

Zihark had only had one drink so far, and was holding up well enough, Nolan was swaying slightly and Aran seemed to not be effected at all. The warrior chuckled merrily, "Aye, that there isn't…" he kicked his feet merrily.

The sound of approaching feet sounded once again and Zihark glanced around curiously, he swallowed to see Edward, surrounded by Laura and Leonardo as well. The blue haired man closed his eyes and turned to face forward once again - swallowing the lump in his throat.

The three sat around the bar and Leo ordered one drink, "You'll get one sip, but that's all!" Edward pouted but nodded reluctantly. Once the tankard was set in front of them, the brunette picked it up and raised it hesitantly to his lips. He took a sip and grimaced, the archer next to him smirked, "You don't even want that much, Ed."

Edward stuck out his bottom lip before turning in his seat and pointedly ignoring the blonde now behind him. Nolan laughed loudly at this, startling several people into giving him raised brows, Laura smiled slightly at him. "Hmph…" the brunette huffed.

Zihark found his lips turning up into a humored expression before he carefully wiped it away.

At some point, Edward left Leonardo and Laura to wander the camp, immediately catching Zihark's attention - but the blue-haired Swordmaster didn't follow. He turned back around and ordered another drink, beside him, Tauroneo clapped him on the shoulder, Zihark fought the urge to wince.

"Atta' boy - 'Hark…" the man nodded shakily, but he was better off than Nolan who was currently singing along with the other drunkards.

_Beer, Beer, Beer, tiddly-beer, beer, beer -_

_A long time ago, way back in history_

_When all there was to drink was nothing but cups o' tea_

_Along came a man by the name o' Charlie Mops_

_And he invented a wonderful drink and 'e made it outta hops -_

_He must have been an admiral, a sultan, or a king…_

Zihark couldn't stop the chuckle from escaping his lips, and he shook his head in exasperation, who would have though Nolan would be such a happy drunk? The blue haired man set his tankard down and glanced around - Leonardo and Laura were still there, both still sober but chatting with the soldiers around them.

Sothe was surprisingly sitting at the bar as well, nursing a single, untouched drink a kind of lost look on his face. Zihark had a small inkling at what was bothering the green-haired rogue, but he figured he wasn't the one that could make him feel better. The Swordmaster sighed, there was probably only two people who could make the young man feel any better - Micaiah and Volke. Micaiah would be able to dull the pain, but only the mysterious assassin could truly make him happy again.

It was surprising how strong their bond had grown - Sothe and Volke's that is - in such a short time; Zihark couldn't help but marvel at the seemingly meant-to-be love between them. He could only shake his head in regret now though, that love was probably lost forever now. It was a waste.

A waste…Their lost love wasn't the only one to be a waste.

Shaking his head once again, Zihark stood up from his seat, glanced at Tauroneo - seeing that a 'goodbye' would probably go unnoticed , glanced away - and walked in the direction he had seen Edward go.

OoOoOoOoOoO

Micaiah smiled happily at the thunder-sage beside her, "So you changed you mind - to go with Muston and Aimee?" the lavender haired woman nodded, flushing slightly at the bright smile on the silveret's face. "I'm so glad!" Ilyana's cheeks burned as her friend embraced her tightly.

"Me too…"

The silver-haired maiden held onto the woman for a little longer before pulling away and chuckling at the embarrassed look on her face. She glanced away, a content smile on her face; things had been going well since she had talked to Sothe.

Her smile melted slightly…Even though things would change for the better soon - if she had any say about it - she still felt for her best friend.

She knew he cared immensely for Daein, but his longing for his lover -Volke - was just too painful, and Micaiah understood completely. She also now knew what had to be done to help him; while she had gotten past the slight hesitation in her plan, she didn't know how he would react, he was much too stubborn.

But she wouldn't fail, she _knew_ he needed this, and she would see it done!

A tap on her shoulder brought her back to present time and Micaiah glanced back over at Ilyana, "Sorry for spacing out…Did you say something?"

The lavender-haired mage just smiled reassuringly, "I was saying you look tired, maybe you should get some rest?"

Micaiah nodded, "Alright, I'll do that - but …You look hungry, go enjoy yourself, alright?" she paused, "Don't let any drunks hurt you either!" Ilyana blinked in surprise, but Micaiah was already walking away hurriedly. After letting her words absorb in, a happy smile graced the other woman's face.

She got a few steps more towards her tent before getting a different idea, she instead headed towards the outskirts of the camp…

"Lady Micaiah?" Jill called and the silveret turned around, blinking at the wyvern rider, "What are you doing out here, there's a celebration going on." the red head asked inquiringly.

OoOoOoOoOoO

Zihark was sobered by the time he entered a more quiet part of the camp, he sighed, Edward probably wasn't over here anymore - maybe it was time to head back. A muffled squeak sounded in his trained senses and the blue-haired man froze in curiosity.

He slowly followed the noise and soon he found himself right beside a huge tree - he peered around it and his mind blanked. Edward…held against a tree - soldier…Kissing Edward. Jealously tore at him and he wanted to turn and walk away - but he took a chance at looking more closely at his old student.

The sword-master frowned at the nervousness in Edward's eyes and he took in the sight of they myrmidon trying to pull away. Zihark's mind clicked and he growled threateningly, the soldier pulled away and glanced backwards to where the noise had come from. His old student stared at him with wide eyes, body completely frozen despite the opening to escape.

Cold, aquamarine eyes were trained on the now-scared soldier, gaze making the man shake in his boots, "Leave or I'll kill you." the man snapped into action and clumsily turned away, scampering back to the camp without a look back.

Narrowed eyes finally pulled away from the spot the man had disappeared from his sight and instead glanced at his former-student. The brunette trembled and aqua eyes softened, Zihark took a couple of steps forward and stopped right in front of the myrmidon. Edward stared up at him - actually timid - the blue haired man stared down at him, trying to convey with his eyes that he wasn't angry at him.

Edward relaxed slightly, as if in understanding and aqua eyes lowered down - finally landing on reddened, kissed lips. Zihark frowned and one thought passed through his head - _that should be from me…_Then all other thoughts were thrown out the door and he was leaning down.

The brunette's eyes widened and he was pressed up against the tree behind him again, this time by his teacher. Zihark gently moved his lips against the other's and was pleasantly surprised to feel Edward respond, even hesitantly. Edward's eyes fluttered closed and he sagged backwards into the bark of the tree, a soft moan escaping his lips.

Zihark raised his arms and wrapped them around Edward's waist, mouth opening and tongue flicking out and gently running along the brunette's lips. The brunette allowed his entry and slowly wrapped his arms around broad shoulders.

The sword master gently picked up the myrmidon who pulled away - breathing heavily and cheeks flushing, "M-master Zihark?"

"Please just call me Zihark, Edward." he dove back in, silencing any reply the brunette might have had. Legs, which had been hanging awkwardly between them, raised and wrapped around Zihark's hips. The blue-haired man smiled into their locked lips and hugged the smaller man tightly.

Edward pulled away for breath again and Zihark watched as confusion spread across youthful features, "Ma- ah - Zihark…?" a considering pout made its way onto his lips, "Is this another mistake?" dark eyes gazed up into the taller man's, fear making them larger.

Zihark frowned guiltily, "No, Edward…That first kiss wasn't a mistake either - Edward, I'm so sorry." eyes widened, and slowly brightened.

"You mean…You really did want to kiss me?"

Zihark smiled, "Yes, I still do."

Edward frowned in confusion, "But…Why did you say that? I don't understand." he trailed off, staring at his former-teacher questioningly.

The sword master sighed, "I - wasn't sure if I was going to stay here after the war…I didn't want to hurt you by getting into a relationship and then leaving…"

Dark eyes widened, "W-what about now?"

Zihark glanced down at fearful eyes and a sheepish, but warm smile spread on his face, "Now? I realized that I can't leave Daein now, now when everyone here is important to me." he paused, staring at Edward pointedly, "One in particular is the most important of all."

The brunette in his arms smiled shyly and Zihark marveled at how it seemed to lighten his heart, "You're important to me too, Zihark…" Edward smirked and the blue-haired man almost jumped at the sudden change.

A mischievous glint entered dark-now-blue-tinted eyes, "You're really important to me!" then the brunette grabbed a handful of blue hair and pulled down Zihark's head so that he could smash their lips together once again.

As Edward forcefully took control, Zihark wondered at where sudden dominance in the younger sword-fighter could have come from. But not much else entered his head as the brunette trailed a sly hand down his back and slowly started rubbing - much like when he had given a back massage in his tent.

The sword master groaned, though this was entirely different then the usual-innocent, happy-go-lucky Edward, he indeed found himself enjoying it.

* * *

A/N: Alright, how did everyone like that? They got together awfully soon, didn't they? Er, was it too abrupt?

There should be one last chapter - I won't be writing the last battle because I fail at that. That'll be up next Monday hopefully… Thank you to all of my reviewers, I love you guys!


	8. Finally

**Suppressed**

Finally

**Disclaimer: **_I own nothing._

_

* * *

_

There was noise, panicked noises - which was odd for the morning of their victory, Zihark blinked his eyes open and started at the shadows forming on the canvas of his tent. Soldiers were hurrying to get geared up from what the sword master could see, and he could hear Sothe issuing orders.

Zihark continued to look puzzled until a murmur from beside him made him jump, he snapped his head to the left and blinked to see a mop of brown hair. For a moment his heart raced and he tried to recall the happenings from the night before. A smile spread across the blue-haired man's face and he laid a hand on Edward's shoulder, shaking him softly.

A sleepy murmur was his only reply and the sword-master's lips lifted smugly, "Hey, Edward, get up, there's something going on outside."

The brunette moaned and from underneath his arm, peeked out at the older man with sleepy eyes - Zihark smiled at the sight. They were pressed together due to their bed being a single cot, and the elder man could feel the smoothness of Edward's skin. He took in the sight of his lover's visible skin - not covered by a wool blanket - and licked his lips.

"I don't want to get up…" the myrmidon whimpered, wincing slightly when he moved his lower body, "It's painful."

Zihark frowned, "That's my fault, I suppose…I'll carry you out." the brunette pouted - obviously unwilling - but then thought better of it and just nodded slowly. The blue-haired man moved his legs over the side of his bed and stood up, blinking when he felt eyes on him.

Edward just smiled wickedly at the sword-fighter's gaze, "Thanks for the view…?" his innocent tone definitely didn't match his expression. Zihark sighed and turned away - a small smile gracing his lips - and reached for his clothes still on the floor.

At the sight of wrinkles in his coat, the man sighed, "Oh well, it's not like anything fancy is happening today…" Zihark said sarcastically, at a particularly loud shout from outside he blinked…Maybe there really wasn't, what was going on?

"Just perhaps the Prince's coronation?" Edward corrected none-to-helpfully - but he blinked as well when he listened carefully to the outside world.

The older man pulled on his clothes in record speed before turning to Edward with his own attire, "Sorry, but you can't go out into the camp nude - that's for me to see." the brunette rolled dark eyes but sat up, cringing all the while.

Zihark pulled the shirt over the myrmidon's head first, next came the red vest - and finally, the worst part, the pants. He laid his lover back on the cot, slowly-lovingly pulling the beige garment over lightly toned legs, non-to-discretely feeling Edward up all the while. The brunette smiled slyly, and Zihark flushed - pulling the pants up the rest of the way.

"Alright, let's find out what's going on." the Swordmaster gently positioned his arms so that one was under Edward's shoulder blades and the other under his knees. He stood, stepping out of the tent into the early-morning darkness. Torches were lit everywhere and there was a distant smell of smoke, Zihark blinked and turned towards the direction of the source.

He continued to walk, passing by nervous soldiers and tents being pulled down, Edward still cradled in his arms. There was a hill, overlooking where Nevassa would be, Zihark nervously walked towards it - if that was where the smoky-scent was coming from…

Zihark struggled slightly with his footing on the dewy grass - but he managed to pull them both to the top of the grassy formation. As one the sword-fighters stared at the sight of a dusty-black cloud emitting from Daein's capital city. "W-what's going on…?!" Edward asked with wide eyes, hand clutching on Zihark's shoulder.

The Swordmaster frowned and turned around, "We'll ask someone." he slid down the hill and landed gracefully at the bottom, aqua eyes scanning the area for anyone of the Dawn Brigade. A flash of green and Zihark was moving, Sothe luckily wasn't trying to avoid anyone - quite the contrary, actually - so the Swordmaster caught up easily.

"Sothe," Zihark and Edward called, the rogue jumped and turned around, blinking at the sight of them together so intimately. "What's going on?" the myrmidon asked from his place in Zihark's arms, eyes narrowed and worried.

The green-haired man sighed, "Last night, Jarod and some of his men attacked Micaiah - she's fine - he got away…Now he's attacking Nevassa." he paused, glancing at their reactions - Zihark was tight-lipped and Edward was openly scowling, "The Apostle will be here sometime soon, however…"

"It's too long to wait," Edward yelled, Sothe nodded in agreement, "Our friends are being killed, we have to do something." the brunette finished deter idly.

The rogue grunted in agreement, "Exactly, however, we can't make a move without Pelleas's allowance…I'm trying to get the soldiers under control, they can't just go out of control, we need a formation." he glanced somewhere behind him - considering, "Speaking of which…" he turned back to the two sword-fighters.

Edward interrupted him, "Why didn't you guys tell me anything?"

Sothe smirked, "You two were still sleeping - it looked so peaceful…We couldn't just interrupt that for you two." Zihark sighed.

"Well, I'm up now, so I'm going to fight!"

The rogue's smirk melted away, "Yeah, and that's why Zihark is carrying you around?" the brunette pouted, crossing his arms. "I can't let you into the battle, you're pretty much handicapped."

Zihark snorted, "Know this from experience?"

Sothe rolled his eyes, "Yes, actually. You should remember." a green brow raised questioningly, and Zihark nodded sheepishly. The rogue turned back to Edward, "I'm sorry, Edward, but you can't be in this battle. You're in no condition."

"B-but…" Edward spoke softly, surprising both Zihark and Sothe, "I can't just wait here when Nevassa is in danger - It's my home!" he paused, "You should understand me, Sothe!" the brunette closed his eyes and turned in towards Zihark's chest.

The sword-master gritted his teeth, he turned aqua eyes on Sothe and blinked to see a knowing look on the rogue's face, "I'll watch over Edward in this battle, I won't leave his side." said man flicked his eyes open again and stared up at his lover's face.

Sothe nodded, "Alright." Edward turned wide eyes on the rogue, "You better make sure nothing happens to him, Zihark." he glared at the man, who only nodded, "Edward, see if Laura can help you out a little, alright?"

"I will…Thanks Sothe."

A nod was his only response, the young adult instead glanced at the older sword-fighter instead, "Zihark, I'm glad everything worked out."

Aqua eyes saddened, "Me too…I should have listened to you."

"Don't worry about it."

The Swordmaster sighed, "I wish it could have worked for you as well, Sothe." the rogue flinched slightly, and his eyes closed momentarily. Gold showed again and they were filled with gratitude instead - albeit they were still pained.

One more nod to them and Sothe was off, leaving two sword-fighters - one slightly confused and the other frowning with slightly dampened spirits. A moment later, the younger spoke up to the elder, "Thank you, Zihark…"

Said man glanced down at the myrmidon in his arms, "Your welcome, Edward…When we're fighting, stay close - I mean it." the brunette nodded in agreement. "Don't worry, okay, we'll take back Nevassa from Begnion."

"Right! Even though I can't walk properly, I've grown enough to be more of a match for those jerks!" Edward declared.

Zihark smirked, if there was one thing that didn't change, it was Edward, "Even so, I still want you to be careful."

"Fine, fine…"

The Swordmaster smiled, "Alright, let's go find Laura."

OoOoOoOoOoO

Footsteps echoed through the fort, drawing the attention of the only two still unoccupied enough to notice them. Zihark whipped around and his eyes narrowed to see three mages and a fighter standing there, "Edward…"

The myrmidon winced slightly at the memory of the fire sage in Umono… There was another one here, but this time it would be different. He couldn't put the pressure of saving him on Zihark again - this was a dangerous situation, and he had to be careful. His soreness had finally died down, but who knows if was completely gone?

The older man beside him spoke again, "Edward, be careful." the brunette merely nodded. He watched as the fighter stepped forward, however, that wasn't his first target…

He lowered his voice, "Zihark…Can I borrow the Killing Edge?" the blue-haired man blinked and glanced over curiously at Edward, at the determined look on the myrmidon's face, he nodded. He passed the sword to his lover and blinked when the brunette was suddenly gone.

Zihark watched in awe as Edward moved like a blur towards the wind-mage on the right, the sword flashed - visible for a moment before it was maneuvered into action. The brunette sliced clean through the mage's cloth robes, through his flesh and finally piercing into his heart.

The blue-haired man took no more time to marvel at the younger man's sudden speed and lethality - he moved into action, taking the opening Edward had given him. He grazed the man's robed arm, but otherwise did no harm - biting back a curse, he stood a few paces away from Edward. There were three enemies left, one with the wrong weapon to fight them with and two with the ability to devastate them.

Edward shifted beside him, and Zihark prayed that he wouldn't do anything rash…They were stronger together than they were apart, that was what made their survival rate better. Taking a few, calming breaths, Zihark waited for what the three Begnion soldiers would do.

The lightning mage opened his tome and started chanting, the fighter threw his axe at Zihark who moved his body slightly to dodge. The fire mage simply stood there, waiting. A crackling in the air above him told the Swordmaster he was targeted - he leapt aside just as the ray of energy hit the stone floor.

Edward, moved forward just as the lightning faded away and Zihark's heart skipped a beat - the fire sage…! "No…" scorching flames licked out towards the brunette, the Swordmaster cursed. The brunette moved out of harms way - mostly - a wave of the flame touched his leg. It was enough to throw him of balance however - he slammed against the floor heavily.

Zihark moved into action, he ran towards the fire sage only for the fighter to jump in front of him, he growled - he was stuck.

His eyes flicked only a moment towards Edward before he was forced to turn his attention back to the enemy in front of him. He would just have to trust in his lover - even though his nerves were yelling at him to protect Edward himself. That wasn't an option though.

Edward glanced up at the sage from his position on the floor, gasping for the air knocked out of him - the man raised his palm and heat waves began to form. The brunette threw his body out of the way, dodging just in time - he kept his eyes focused…Even as they itched to look at his older lover.

He pulled himself up, sharply intaking his breath when he heard the crackle of lightning from overhead, he skidded across the gray stone - golden light pooling right in front of him. He grit his teeth, he needed to take one of them down…!

The myrmidon steeled himself and forced himself to run forwards, aiming for the lightning mage - however that bared his back to the fire sage… He sloppily ran his sword through the thunder-wielder's heart, making the man fall - however, the feel of heat poured from behind him.

Scorching flames made its way towards him, and he could only watch, his sword leaving the lightning mage's body…Just as the flames were about to engulf him, a golden light lifted around him and seemed to shield him. The fire enveloped the light before disappearing completely, Edward's eyes widened as his injured leg seemed to be caressed…The pain evaporated as if it had never been - the light completely wrapped around him and all he could see was white.

Strength…It seemed to fill him, he felt safe, whispers of cloth touched his skin and he frowned in confusion, a tingling sensation entered his entire body and finally the light started to fade away. His eyes opened and he saw in front of him a very distressed fire sage. Edward blinked and felt his sword in his hand once again… The blade lifted and in one shot, the magic-user was downed.

He stared down at the corpse, still blinking, utterly confounded…What had that been?

The sound of footsteps behind him made him jump and he whipped around, relaxing when he saw that it was Zihark…With a knowing look. "Zihark, do you know what that was?" the blue-haired man shrugged slightly.

"In the Mad King's War, my comrades and I came up with a kind of description…Who knows if it's true - but we'd like to think it's a sort of blessing from the Goddess Ashera. A class change." Edward cocked his head to the side, "You're now a sword-master. I suppose you could say you've been promoted by the goddess. That's our theory."

Edward nodded, "I suppose that makes sense, it kind of fits, I mean - I feel a lot stronger now."

Zihark's eyes seemed fixed on something behind Edward now, "Strong enough to take on three more mages and another fighter?" the brunette turned around, taking in the sight of a group of enemies much like what they had just taken down.

"Of course!" Edward grinned cheerfully, without further notice he charged into their midst - Zihark swallowed his exasperation, he had someone to watch over.

OoOoOoOoOo

Sothe picked at the lock of another chest, the last one if he was right, and felt a small satisfaction as it popped open. He took the scroll out of the wooden box, glancing at it and identifying it as a parity scroll, Lady Lucia had had one three years ago.

After pocketing the skill-imbued parchment, he walked towards the ledge that separated him from the group still sitting by the seize point. Jarod had proved a skilled fighter, however, Nolan's axe was by far more powerful. He jumped down onto the floor, making Leonardo jump, "How is Laura doing?"

"She's still healing everyone, she and Volug went down to meet up with Zihark and Edward." the blonde archer replied, "Here, you look tired." the man offered a vial of vulnerary to the standing rogue.

The thief nodded his thanks, putting the drink to his lips and swallowing a mouthful, "I'm going to check on things, see you in a bit." he walked away, but slowed when he felt a pair of eyes on him. Micaiah was staring at him searchingly, and Sothe shifted in discomfort. She looked so knowing…

He looked away and continued walking after recovering, after getting out of her gaze and scanned the fort for the Black Knight. The man wasn't hard to find, standing tall in bulky, heavy, black armour, Sothe gritted his teeth and walked towards him.

"…I don't understand why you helped us…"

The Black Knight glanced at him, "You've established this."

Sothe bit back a growl at what he was about to do, "I want to say, you were a powerful ally…" he did growl then, "You're still not as good as General Ike!" he turned away, walking towards the open door to a lower floor, "I don't trust you either. But …You were helpful." He was about to leave when he felt eyes on his back again…

Micaiah was staring at him with a gentle look, she mouthed to him, 'Thank-you'. Though he saw it, he couldn't comprehend it…Why was she saying that?

The rogue shook his head, heading out into the lower part of the fort; he was just in time to see Volug walking towards him with an exhausted Laura on his back. Nolan was right beside her, a steadying hand placed on her back so that she wouldn't fall off, they were walking up the staircase. Zihark and Edward were making there way up the various ledges, Sothe decided they could use some help.

He stopped right in front of the ledge they were trying to climb, Edward looked like he wasn't going to make it…Zihark got up and, after exchanging a glance with Sothe, leaned down to grab one of Edward's arms. Sothe took the other one, and together, they pulled him up.

After his feet were safely on the next floor, Sothe let Zihark pull the brunette into his arms; Sothe took that time to take in Edward's new clothing. "…Class change?"

"Yeah." Zihark answered for him, "He decided the new strength was enough of a reason to attempt to take down our enemies single-handedly." exasperation laced his voice.

"That's Edward for you, I suppose." Sothe sighed, "Alright, let's head to the main group, are you going to be alright?" Zihark glanced down at the younger Swordmaster in his arms before nodding. "I'll walk with you just in case."

"Thanks."

OoOoOoOoO

Micaiah nodded at Ilyana and Nolan decidedly, "I hope he'll agree to this willingly…I won't give up until he follows through with the plan."

The brown haired man towering over her nodded, "I as well…"

Ilyana added, "You should wait until after Pelleas's coronation before you tell him the plan…" Nolan nodded his agreement to the lavender-haired mage before turning to Micaiah inquiringly. The silveret smiled sadly.

"Of course…"

OoOoOoOoOoO

The hall was bright with the sun shining through the windows of the throne room… Edward stared at Zihark across from him in the hallway, not taking heed to the Daein soldiers around him. The Swordmaster smiled at softly in his direction, aqua eyes content.

They both looked away when the doors opened again, Pelleas walked in and everyone stood at attention - saluting him silently as he made his way towards the throne. Tauroneo and Meg - who had been behind him (A/N: I can't remember if they were in front of him or behind…) fell into place with the other Daein soldiers. Edward frowned when Zihark said a greeting to Meg beside him, the brunette smiling happily at the attention.

He blinked when his blue-haired lover looked his way and smiled reassuringly, after a moment of hesitation he grinned back.

OoOoOoOoOoO

Sothe frowned sadly as Tormod, Muarim, Nailah, Vika, and Volug disappeared from sight; another person he cared about was gone, again. He blinked as a bark erupted from the trees, the brown-haired wolf coming back from the trees.

Micaiah smiled happily…

The rogue barely registered as he spoke to the both of them, he was too lost in thought…He didn't even realize when Ilyana and Nolan appeared in the clearing. "Sothe…" he blinked at Micaiah's voice directed at him.

"Sothe!"

The green-haired man blinked and he turned to her, "Huh?" she looked nervous. "What's wrong, Micaiah? You look different."

The silveret glanced over at Ilyana and Nolan, Sothe jumped; he hadn't even noticed they were there! Volug barked at her and she smiled softly, though still nervous looking. "Sothe…I have something to talk to you about."

Sothe blinked, her tone…Was something wrong? "What is it?"

"Please don't be mad, and please don't say no."

The rogue stared at her with confused eyes, nostalgia swept over him; though that made no sense, it wasn't like she was going to leave him again, she was staying in Daein. He would be there as well, so why did it feel like she was saying goodbye?

Micaiah took a deep breath, her eyes closed for a moment, when they opened, golden-brown was filled with determination, "You can't keep going on like this, Sothe…"

"What are you talking -," she held up a silencing hand.

She smiled sadly, "I know you said you're working on forgetting about Volke, Sothe." he breathed in sharply, "However, I don't think you will, nor do I think that that's what's best…"

The rogue drew in a shaky breath, "I…Micaiah - What?"

"Sothe, I want you to leave Daein," his eyes widened, "You've done enough for now." she frowned, "Though it isn't exactly safe, I want you to go looking for Volke." the rogue tried to speak, but he couldn't find any words, he could only look at her in shock.

The silver-haired-maiden stared back at him, eyes filled with such knowingness it was painful, "You need him, Sothe… I don't know what it will achieve going after him, but I think it's for the best." she smiled at the boy she saw as a brother fondly.

"But - I can't protect you then…"

Nolan spoke up, "I promise I'll watch over her in your place."

Ilyana nodded, "I as well, you can rest easy, we'll take care of her." she paused, "We love her." Nolan smiled, Micaiah blinked and stared at her in shock, and Sothe felt slightly reassured. Volug howled, adding his own reassurances.

Sothe turned to the silveret again, "You haven't seen anything bad happening from this?"

Micaiah sighed, "Perhaps there will be more hardships here in Daein…However, I also see something good for Daein's future in the long run. I don't know exactly what it is, but I know that it's best if you go looking for Volke. Not only that, but you will be happier, and that's what's most important."

The green haired man closed his eyes, heart starting to beat in excitement… But…

"Micaiah…" she hummed in response, but gasped when he pulled her into a hug, "I'll…Miss you, Micaiah. Thank you." his sister-figure simply smiled, holding him tightly..

"We'll see each other again, of course. I don't need my far-sight to know that." she lowered her voice, "Be happy, Sothe. It helps me as well. I love you, Sothe."

Golden eyes closed, "I love you too, Micaiah."

She pulled away, and stared up at him, "Take care of yourself, alright? Just because you'll be busy searching for an assassin doesn't mean you can't keep up with your health!" they smiled at each other, "Alright, the longer you're here, the longer it'll take to find your loved one."

Sothe nodded, "Alright…" he looked up at Nolan, "Bye, friend…"

"Like Micaiah said, take care of yourself; it won't do to find your lover-boy and not be in good condition for him." he winked and Sothe spluttered, Ilyana giggled.

He turned to the thunder-sage, "I'll miss you as well, Ilyana."

"Say hello to Volke for me, will you?"

"Of course."

Sothe turned to the last person, "Volug…Watch over Micaiah." the large wolf nodded his shaggy head and the rogue felt satisfied.

"Bye, everyone… Thank you."

Micaiah smiled once again, waving delicately; Ilyana nodded at him, and Nolan shook his head, "Get moving, boy!"

"Right." the rogue turned and rushed away, heading towards the trees - towards Nevassa. Volug howled after him and finally, a truly happy smile graced his entire face. He was going to find Volke - he wasn't going to be alone anymore.

OoOoOoOoO

Zihark glanced down at Edward, "Ready?"

The brunette nodded, "Yeah."

Both sword-users glanced ahead; but the elder jumped when the younger grabbed his hand, he settled easily though. They walked towards the gates of Nevassa, nodding to the civilians who stopped to watch them leave.

Though he was leaving, it wasn't how Zihark had once pictured it… He was next to Edward - first of all - and his destination wasn't Gallia. It wasn't out of Daein at all actually, "There's a lot of work ahead of us, you ready for it Edward?"

The brunette nodded, "I'll protect Daein's restoration with all I've got!" Zihark smiled at him.

"I'll be there with you as well."

Edward smiled, "I'm glad." he frowned, "I have my goals, but I don't think I can reach them alone." Zihark raised a brow at him, "Even when I reach it, I'll still be with you as well!"

The blue-haired man was silent, but he squeezed the hand in his own; why had he suppressed himself when life could be like this? His thoughts were abruptly silenced when Edward leaned up and planted his lips on his own.

"Stop thinking and start being more cheerful, we have a country to restore!" The blue-haired man shook his head, humored but nodded anyways. "C'mon, let's go!"

"Right."

* * *

**A/N:** And that's the end, until I write the sequel. I suck at endings, but yeah…I tried. I love you, my reviewers, and I want to take a moment to point that out. You guys keep me writing, and you just rule. Period.

So, review? Any help on grammar and spelling is greatly appreciated - 'cause I fail at checking my stuff. All mistakes you see here are mine.

I don't know when the sequel be up, I'm busy with school now. But it _will_ be up! There will be more about these pairings as well - Zihark/Edward  
Ilyana/Micaiah, and a Laura pairing. Ahem...You'll see. The Greil Mercenaries will turn up eventually as well. I'm going to finish the story completely first before I start posting, by the way.


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